


Dr Jones

by DatingSimProtagonist



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Abuse, Anal Sex, Dark!America, Explicit Sexual Content, Kidnapping, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Memory Loss, Mentions of Murder, Mentions of Slavery, Neko!England, Psychological Torture, Public Display of Affection, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sexual Abuse, Stockholm Syndrome, Surgery, Torture, USUK - Freeform, Will add tags as I go, crazy!america, drugged, im sorry, in that order
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-09
Updated: 2018-08-02
Packaged: 2019-06-07 15:10:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 28,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15221870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DatingSimProtagonist/pseuds/DatingSimProtagonist
Summary: Arthur is a simple mailman doing his job, delivering packages and letters. Particularly to one Dr Jones, who seems to be ordering a lot lately. Curious, Arthur lets himself get to close, and falls into a trap he cant escape from.Read the tags!





	1. Panther

**Author's Note:**

> Please read the tags!
> 
> Extra warnings: very OOC writing, forgive me. Also, the pacing on this changes a lot, so just be aware.

Arthur trudged through the rain, pulling his hood up over his head to block out the harsh rain that had soaked through his clothes, right down to his socks. He frowned to himself, as he often did. Of course, THIS was his mail route, walking down desolate paths to deliver mail to those that could afford huge manors and the land that came with them. He walked from each building to the next, shoving through letterboxes the mail that was addressed to the owners. Thankfully, it wasn't too long of a trip, and he was almost finished. He walked down to one of the last houses, cold and shivering, it was large and gaudy but better than anything he could afford with such a low salary.  
The man inside had 2 letters and a parcel to be delivered, which meant that Arthur would have to knock and wait or risk getting in trouble for leaving mail outside in this weather. He knocked 3 times, though his hand met little resistance as the door creaked open. Despite the horror movie trope that was happening before his eyes, Arthur knew the building was his only protection from the rain, so he took a few steps inside.  
"Hello? Excuse me?" he called out, "I'm looking for a Dr Jones? He has a package I need signing for..." He was met by silence and sighed. either he could wait and hope the man showed up, or he could leave a slip, but that meant coming out again the next day to drop it off and Arthur wasn't particularly excited about that since it was supposed to rain all week. "Hello? Dr Jones?" he shook off the rain a little more, hearing it still outside, despite being saved from its shower where he stood. "I have your package" he tried one last time.  
There was noise now, a pitter-patter of quick feet on the floor, though it clearly didn't match the weight of a fully grown man. Arthur took a step back, not wanting to appear as though he had trespassed into anyone's home, though rather than a person looking at him, from a doorway, a large black dog with long shaggy hair and an overtly skinny frame was snarling at Arthur.  
"n-nice dog... good dog..." he stammered, "I just want to deliver a package... to your master" he tried to keep his voice low and non-threatening though at this point he was ready to throw the package and run.   
Slowly it crept over to Arthur, stealing the mailman's attention away from the man who was stood just where the dog had come from.  
"Lika" the man called, "back off."  
The dog quickly ran off, back into the room it had come from, where Alfred, tall, overdressed and clearly irritated walked out from.  
"sorry if you called, I was distracted" he quickly excused himself as he stopped in front of Arthur, "is there something I can help with?"  
"Package sir... sorry I walked in, its just your door was open..." he quickly said, nervous. at the end of the day, one complaint and Arthur could be fired.  
Alfred visibly had to stop himself from looking at the mailman, though Arthur didn't notice. he took the package and weighed it in his hands before he smiled, "thank you, don't worry about walking in, I wouldn't have heard you knock anyway."  
Arthur smiled, slightly relieved he had nothing to worry about, "oh, well here. if you could just sign here" he held out a clipboard and a pen to Alfred, looking around the entrance to the manor as he did. he couldn't learn much about the place other than the fact that Alfred, or someone he lived with, clearly liked art, as it adorned the walls in many different forms. Arthur found a quick shred of confidence come back to him, "Is it just you and your dog here?" he asked while Alfred put the parcel down and took the pen.  
Alfred paused for a second in thought before he let the ink touch the paper and signed his name in swirly writing, "yes, just us" he handed the pen back with a nod that told Arthur he wasn't in the mood for conversation.   
"Oh, well, have a nice day Dr Jones," he said, taking the clipboard back and sliding it into his bag with several other letters. he quickly stood outside, pulled up his hood and set off for the rest of his route.  
Alfred watched him leave until Arthur turned a corner and was out of sight.

Alfred either must have had a friend sending him gifts constantly or an online shopping addiction because over the next few weeks, almost every day Alfred had one of two things delivered that he had to sign for. Arthur would often walk in, have to wait for Jones to realise, and then they'd make some kind of small talk. in that time Arthur had learned very little about jones, he often deflected the conversation back to Arthur who would talk about his job and how the weather reminded him of being back in England. Every so often he would realise that Jones's eyes had been on him for just a little too long, but he took this for a character quirk and thought no more of it.   
Every time Alfred walked to the entrance only to realise the mailman was stood there he smiled to himself. he had built a perfect mental image of the brit, and the man had so much potential. Alfred just needed to help him unlock it. he would smile and converse happily, they'd gone about as far as to learn each other's names, not that they ever used them, and so it was a nice routine.  
Every time Arthur found himself knocking and walking in, again and again, he wondered a little more about what exactly was inside these boxes. they were all different sizes and weight, and he was curious. 

Like most days, Arthur found himself knocking once more, this time the door was locked which made him frown, and hope that Alfred would hear him. "Dr Jones, Package!" he called from outside, which wouldn't have made a lot of difference, but he saw the man through a windowed walk to the door and open it. Lika, jones's dog was enjoying herself by running around the doctor's legs, and Arthurs once the door was open. Arthur smiled and gave her a small pat on the head, and handed Alfred the clipboard and pen as always.  
"you've been ordering so much lately, any reason?" he asked, half of his attention stolen by the dog.  
"they're gifts, from a friend. he's helping me with a project" he went silent as he signed his name before he looked at Arthur curiously. "actually, you could help with that."  
Arthur cocked his head to the side, Lika ran back to her master. " I could?"  
"yes, I just need you to answer one question"  
"what is it?" for some reason, Arthur expected something personal to be asked and was surprised when he heard...  
"if you could be an animal, what animal would you be?"  
the Briton paused for a second. how was that supposed to help with research? still, he found himself putting actual thought into his answer, "oh, maybe a panther? or a mountain lion?"  
"so big cats then?" Alfred smiled, clearly half lost in his thoughts now.   
"Yeh, I mean, I can ferocious" he subconsciously puffed out his chest a little, trying to stand a little taller.  
"Of course" Alfred couldn't hide the jokey condescension from his voice, "you're the scariest person I know"  
Arthur smiled, clearly not picking up on his tone. "exactly, I couldn't just be any old house cat"  
"clearly, thank you for your help" there was more urgency in Alfred's tone now, "if I need your help in the future ill be sure to ask"  
"Of course, I'm happy to help sir, have a good day"  
Alfred nodded and for once he didn't watch Arthur leave, he ran back inside quickly.

The orders didn't stop, though Alfred knew they had more of an order to them now. He was thankful for friends in faraway places that were able to give him things he really needed, though it would take a while for him to find them in the perfect colour.  
Arthur continued with his deliveries, clearly, he had taken a likening to Alfred as their chats lasted longer and Alfred seemed to look forward to his arrival. he hoped they could be friends of sorts.  
After a few weeks, Alfred had been sent everything he needed, all he had to do now was wait for Arthur with the last delivery.

It was still late winter, but the weather had been forgiving lately and strangely warm, and Alfred assumed it would rain in a few days to make up for it. Arthur had clearly been feeling the heat, as today he had shown up in blue shorts, and a short sleeved button up. His arms were full of 3 boxes, and he clearly wanted to set them down somewhere. he wasn't surprised to see Alfred walking for the door as he did.  
"afternoon Dr Jones packages for you"  
Alfred himself had his hands full of some of the older packages, opened and ready for a scrap. "could I ask you to come through and put them down on the table while I find a place to put these?"  
"of course" Arthur smiled, walking inside, "just on the floor here?"   
"Actually, if you could put them on the dining room table" he beckoned him to follow and Arthur did so. judging by how Alfred lived, whatever was in the boxes was most likely expensive and putting them on the floor would be risky. He looked around the house as they walked, it was bigger than it seemed on the outside- and it seemed big- with walls decorated with art, sculptures sat on pillars and chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Arthur was sure just one of them was worth more than his entire apartment.  
They got to the dining room and Alfred placed the boxes on the table, careful to avoid neatly set out silverware. "there, perfect" he let his arms relax as he took a step back, still looking around in awe.   
Alfred smiled a thank you and went to grab something, Arthur was to distract to particularly care. On the opposite side of the room to Alfred, there was a large picture of a woman. She was naked from the waist up, however, most of her body was covered by her long blond hair and flowers which surrounded her in the thousands. Alfred brought Arthurs attention to it (and thus, away from him) with a simple, "do you see that picture there?" and a point.  
Arthur immediately looked up to it, eyes wide. it was huge and must have cost a small fortune. he wanted to touch it but decided against it. "Is there something special about it?"  
"it just reminded me of you the first time I saw you, but with shorter hair of course," the woman did strangely look like him. the blond of their hair was almost exactly the same and her green eyes shone with a fascinating tone, not unlike Arthurs.  
"really? you think I look like that?" Arthur chuckled, "I'm so much manlier, come on Dr Jones" he turned to his left and Alfred quickly stepped to Arthurs right. In the doctor's hand, there was a white cloth, though the middle appeared grey with dampness.  
"you do have a habit of underestimating your fragility" Alfred smiled.  
"Pardon?" Arthur tried to turn to him but too quickly Alfred had wrapped an arm around his neck and pressed the cloth against his mouth and nose. it gave off a heavy chemically smell, and Arthur wriggled to free himself but failed. Slowly, he grew limp in Alfred's arms.


	2. Leopard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry

Alfred waited a minute or two longer until he was sure Arthur was out before he collected the man in his arms, and took him further into the manor, into a room with more locks than the front door. He lay Arthur against a bed, one similar to a hospital bed.  
Arthurs mailbag had been left in the dining room, and now he lay in just his shorts and shirt. Alfred left to make sure the front door was locked, and then walked back, locking the door behind him as he started to work on his own masterpiece, one that would look in place alongside the art on the walls.  
All of Arthurs clothes were folded and left to one side. Alfred slid on a lab coat and plastic apron to make sure any blood stayed ff him as he grabbed a scalpel and one of the many boxes that had been shipped to him over the past few weeks. hopefully this time it would work...  
no, it had to. Arthur was different.

Arthur didn't wake up for a few days. His heart was still beating and Alfred took it as a good sign, but he'd been tricked before and needed Arthur to wake up before he could say anything definitively.  
Alfred wasn't in the room when Arthur woke up. The brit recognised his own life before he even opened his eyes and was happy for that at least. slowly his eyes opened and readjusted to the bright lights of the room. "wh-what?" It was incredibly clinical and he risked sitting up to get a better look, but his movement was slow, if anything, it stopped his head from hurting so much.  
It took the brit a while to recognise the pain on his head, it was sharp and painful and he reached up slowly to feel his head but at first just felt bandages and soft hair. the pain in his head almost distracted from the pain on his lower back. he moved and sat on something long and soft. whatever it was, he felt pain from somewhere that he didn't recognise. "fuck..."  
there were iv lines going into his arms, Alfred had done everything he could to keep Arthur alive. "the hell?" Arthur was just happy he didn't feel a catheter. His eyes had properly adjusted finally and he gave a proper look around the room. several boxes, Alfred's parcels, sat in the corner, next to a chair, upon which Lika slept, curled up against herself.  
Beside the bed were a table of sorts, on which lay a mirror face down and a glass of water. further down was a small array of tools which made Arthur shiver. they weren't in any order, more just a pile of scalpels and injections.  
Slowly, Arthur reached for the mirror, hoping to bet a better look at the bandages around his head. his hand wrapped around the handle and he held it up, his hand going up to his head as he did.

The mirror dropped to the floor with a loud smash and its glass was sent all over the floor. On his head.... his hands went up to feel the two ears which now sat perched on his scalp. the place they had been sewn on as slightly shaved, revealing intricate stitching. arthur felt himself panic, and he felt the ears stand up.  
The sound of the smash was enough to raise the attention of Lika who now sat up in her chair, staring over at Arthur. she made a small gruff noise and Arthur only just noticed that the sound he head, he seemed to hear more from above. he reached for his normal ears, thankfully, they were still there, but they didn't work, all sound redirected to the new ones.   
Arthur looked over to Lika. He was with Alfred... that's it... he was with Alfred when he... was he still in Alfred's house? was this a dream? the pain felt too real to be a dream... Arthur felt his new ears flatten against his head while these mixed emotions ran through his head.

A few hours later, Arthur still hadn't summoned the energy to move, despite the adrenaline running through him his legs refused to work. Slowly, the sound of faint footsteps came to the room, and he heard the door unlock. instinctively, he backed up on the bed as far away from the door as possible. his whole form was trembling, even his new appendages, and he was reminded of the pain in his lower back.

Alfred walked in, still bound in a lab coat which had a few small red stains on it from where he had gotten sloppy. The happiness on his face when he saw Arthur was akin to a child opening Christmas presents only to realise his parents had bought him his favourite toy. He held a tray in his hands.  
"you're alive!"  
Arthur shrunk away from him as far as he could. "wh-what did you do to me?" he let out, still shaking.  
"did you not see yourself?" Alfred asked, slightly confused. he walked in more and heard the crunch of glass below his shoe. he frowned. "Did you not like it?"  
"did you do this to me?" he didn't know why he asked, but he hoped Alfred would say no. he hoped Alfred was the one saving him. his ears stayed flat against his head. he felt movement under the bed and prayed that Alfred hadn't given him a tail.  
"you should be thanking me" he placed the tray on the table.  
Arthur stayed silent and stared at Alfred. was he serious? he had never expected this from Alfred... it should have been obvious, but it wasn't, why wasn't it obvious? why was he able to put on such a front? why had he been allowed to make Arthur smile when he was working? why had this happened?  
"you are more beautiful than you ever could be before! I went through the trouble to find an animal that's fur matched your hair perfectly, and that was big enough to fit your body perfectly" he marvelled at Arthur.  
"why...?" he let out slowly.  
"you were perfect. I knew it the moment I saw you" the way Alfred spoke was in a manor Arthur had never seen before, he was almost manic. Absolutely nothing like the calm man Arthur had brought mail to.  
"please... just let me go..." Arthur didn't know who this man was, he wasn't Alfred, and it scared him. he wanted to leave, he needed to leave.  
"but... people would see you?" Alfred had to keep Arthur to himself, he had to, for now at least. until the world was ready.  
Arthur tried not to think about what people would do if they saw him, but anything would be better than being here. "please..."  
Alfred sighed, "you know you cant do that Arthur, not yet. there are a few people I need to show you off to first"  
"but... you will let me go?"  
"eventually"  
Arthur seemed to feel a small glimpse of hope. "what are you going to do with me?"  
"for now," Alfred said as he thought, "you'll stay around, just while I monitor you for a while"  
arthur nodded, he just needed to listen, then many Alfred would let him go?  
"see, I knew you would understand!" Alfred as quickly switching between a childish happy demeanour that seemed to like Arthur, that seemed to be astonished by his life, and a dark, more clinical one. "now, here, eat" he moved the table by Arthurs bed closer. he'd appropriately chosen fish as a meal. "you need your strength"  
Arthur slowly began to eat while Alfred watched. what he assumed was a tail began to sway, though he willed it still due to the pain it caused. Alfred found it marvellous.   
Arthur felt his eyes like daggers. "Mr Jones... please don't stare at me like that..."  
"Doctor. Doctor Jones" he corrected harshly. Arthurs' ears flicked a little but he went back to eating.  
"is this all you're going to do to me? Mr- Doctor Jones?" he hoped there was nothing else in store. he didn't want to wake up one day with paws or anything else for that matter.  
"it depends" Alfred finally sat down and stopped looming over Arthur. Lika jumped off her chair and curled up next to it while he stole her spot. "I don't know if you'll need anything else doing. you're the first one that lived this far, so we'll just have to see"  
Arthur froze, "you've... killed people?"  
"well I wasn't trying to" he brushed it off so easily it was scary.  
"how many..."  
alfred genuinely started to think, internally counting, "maybe... 14? other you then you I mean" he was unsure when he said it, it was most likely more.  
Arthur winced. he could have died...  
"but it worked with you!" Alfred said what Arthur was thinking, "I knew it was when I saw you"  
There was silence for a while as Arthur finished eating. he had too many questions.   
"who are you going to be showing me off to?"  
"just some friends" as harsh as Alfred was, he seemed to be patient for him. "the ones who helped me with my research, the ones who sent me what I needed to make you."  
Whoever these people were, Arthur knew he didn't want to meet them. not when they supported this. the idea that they might help him was instantly thrown from the window. 

Alfred still didn't understand why Arthur didn't like who he was now. he was far more beautiful than anyone else the American had ever seen, the ears and tail only helping his beauty.  
"is this where I will be staying for a while?" Arthurs' voice pulled Alfred out of thought.  
"god no!" Alfred seemed almost offended. he wasn't a monster! "you have your own room of course." and Arthur gave a nod, happy to not be locked in this tight metal box of a room.  
"could we... go there now?" this room was making him sick. not that he gave so much hope to the idea that the other wouldn't.   
"of course" Alfred stood up and removed the iv's from Arthurs' arm, making sure that he wasn't going to be dragging anything behind him.  
Arthur slowly pressed his bare feet against the cold floor. he slowly let his legs take his body weight, and moved in small, shaky steps.  
"I could carry you if you want?"  
nothing would make Arthur feel sicker. "n-no I can do it"  
Alfred didn't like the idea of him getting damaged, but nodded, though he kept his eyes on every one of his steps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh god when writing this up i realised how rushed through it seems. since its adapted from a roleplay, i didn't want to stray too far but im just hoping it doesnt come across as being insanely fast paced. it should slow down hopefully once we're more into it!  
> i hope you like this, slightly shorter chapter. there's definitely more to come.  
> i love comments, i live for comments, please comment.


	3. Puma

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a slightly slower chapter! hopefully its not too slow though

Arthur looked around as he walked, though half of his attention was still on not falling. the entire house was covered in art, it seemed clean in most areas, but if Alfred was hiring staff- because how would he be able to clean this whole place by himself?- then clearly they weren't working for there pay because, in some places, a little more work needed.  
They reached the stairs to the second floor where Arthurs room was and both Alfred and Arthur knew that with so little strength in his legs, Arthur wasn't going to be able to climb them.  
"you're not going to make it to the second floor like this, please, let me help you"  
Arthur thought in silence, he could always try it but if he fell Alfred would most likely pick him up completely no matter what he said, so he nodded and let Alfred wrap an arm around him, and take most of his weight as he helped him up the stairs. Arthur winced away from him, despite the help, he couldn't stand the blood on Alfred lab-coat and leaned away from it.  
"don't worry, it's not yours" Alfred tried to reassure him, though it didn't make Arthur feel any better.  
They arrived slowly to the second floor, the perfect floor for Arthur to be staying on in Alfred's opinion. on the first floor, Arthur could climb out any window and just run, on the third, the fall would kill him. both options were absolutely unthinkable, but if Arthur tried to climb from the second floor, the fall would surely cripple his legs and he'd be left in a painful pile on the floor for Alfred to pick him back up and bring him inside. perfect!  
He didn't let Arthur go once they got to the second floor, and continued to help him over to his room, despite Arthurs squirming. Alfred took him to a large bedroom with a double bed pressed against a wall, with windows on either side and small bedside tables underneath, each with a draw and a shelf. in the corner by a door sat a dresser, and across from it, a wardrobe. on the wall, directly facing the bed, hung the large picture Alfred had told him to look at before knocking him out. the brit felt tears slowly well in his eyes, and he tried hard to blink them away without Alfred noticing.  
"I made this room up just for you. I would go back to hiring cleaners to help me with everything around here, but so far I've been able to manage by myself. Now that you're here, once you're used to everything you can start to help, it'll be great" He smiled and let Arthur fall against the bed. the brit backed up to the headboard, as far away from Alfred as possible.  
With Alfred's words, Arthur felt more tears come, this time, he couldn't blink them away and he escaped his eyes and fell freely down his face.  
Alfred frowned from his spot by Arthurs bed, "whats this? whats wrong?" just like before, he seemed genuinely confused.  
"you're going to keep me here till I let my last breath leave my body" it was a shock he got every word out, they were interrupted with sobs and tears.  
"Arthur, no. you're going to be happy here! you're going to want to stay"  
"no... please... just let me go..." he cried more openly now, but wouldn't let himself go completely.  
"do you know how dangerous that would be? I need to keep you safe"  
"let me go!" he whimpered, no strength in his voice. his ears and tail trembled, that seemed to be his natural state now.  
"you'll understand soon enough, I promise, I'm going to make you see how happy you will be here"  
Arthur curled up despite the pain, hiding his face against his legs. despite having only been here for a few days, his old life felt like it was years in the past and Arthur wanted it back. what was he now? nothing more than an experiment! "I'm a monster.... a bloody monster. an experiment that you performed!" his voice was muffled by the sheets around him.  
Alfred sighed, "don't worry, you'll come to see yourself how I see you. you are perfect, you were almost there originally, I didn't even have to do much you make you look so perfect because you were already stunning"  
did he really think that was a compliment? did he not understand? who was this person?  
Tears kept flowing from Arthur as he turned away. this man had ruined his life. made him inhuman.

nothing registered in Alfred's mind as to why Arthur wasn't able to love himself yet. he was perfect. and Alfred was going to show him. "you just need time" he mumbled, and when Arthur didn't respond, he waited a moment before leaving him alone in the room, shaking and scared.  
Arthur heard Arthurs footsteps get quieter and only when there was silence did he let himself truly weep. he screamed into his pillow, his nails scratching at the sheet below him. he didn't remember them being this shart or strong before, but they did what he wanted them to do as they sliced through the fabric and his pillow slowly became soaked with tears.  
He must have been crying for hours before his energy left him and he unwillingly fell asleep, dreams of Alfred cutting into him, adding and taking limbs haunting him.  
He woke up the next morning in fear. he didn't open his eyes, hoping and praying to himself that this was all just a bad dream, but he didn't recognise the feel of the sheets around him. they were too soft, too expensive. for once he wanted his old scratchy ones back. he could hear birds outside, and as he slowly opened his eyes he saw their shadows flying past the window, which allowed sunlight to seep into the room reminding him that no one had closed the curtains. the house seemed silent around him. if Alfred was awake, he wasn't close, which put him as a little more comfort. he looked around the bed, the sheets were torn, but he could hide that with the blanket.  
he looked around the room but saw nothing new, and the sight got boring quickly. he decided to do a little exploring closer and so pressed his feet against the carpeted ground and stood up. It was no surprise to him that he fell and had to catch himself on the bedside table, apparently, his legs hadn't regained their strength. still, not wanting to sit in boredom, he used the walls and furniture to help him look around. he stopped by the dresser, all of the draws were empty, and he felt dirty in the clothes he was wearing. they were just his uniform shorts and shirt, meaning Alfred had redressed him, meaning Alfred had stripped him.  
he hadn't given it much thought before but now it made him shudder. would he have to stay in these clothes for as long as he was here? they were already dirty.  
Everything in the room was empty, which didn't surprise Arthur, but he wasn't sure what he was expected to apart from sitting and wait in silence. He caught a glimpse of one of the windows and decided that if he was going to sit in silence, he would do it with a good view, and so with great effort, he helped himself up and perched on the windowsill, which was thick enough to hold his body.  
The view outside made Arthur shudder. It was a beautiful day, something no one would have expected given the recent rainy weather, and several birds flew outside to the ground, hunting for something to eat. Almost the entirety of Alfred's land, or at least what Arthur could see, was forest. and not a single other house of any kind could be seen. nobody would hear Arthur here. nobody could help him. behind the thick trees, Arthur could see a small amount of running water, but couldn't tell if it was a stream or just a puddle that glistened in the sunlight, and so paid it no mind, even further back from that, his sight caught a smudge of brown, which was most likely a shed of some sort, something to be used for extra storage. the whole scene was too happy to belong to Alfred, and even then, it wasn't really that happy at all.  
slowly, Arthurs sensitive ears picked up the sound of footsteps and so with great pain, he rushed himself back to bed and covered himself and the damage he had done to it with the blanket, pretending to be asleep.  
he heard the steps stop just outside the door and a light knock against the wood, but decided to remain silent. when no response came, the door slowly opened and a few more steps sounded, softer this time as they were against carpet not wood, and stopped. a sigh left Alfred as he noticed the sleeping man, and then there was a small scrape as something was left on the dresser, and Alfred walked back out, closing the door behind him with a click. 

Arthur stayed frozen where he was for what seemed like hours, but in the end, it must have only been a few minutes. slowly, he pushed the blanket off him and sat up. he eyes the dresser, a tray had been left on the side, full of food and water. despite his stomachs objections, he ignored it. he did, however, take a small sip of water, just enough to make it seem like it stayed untouched. he didn't want Alfred to think he was winning.  
Eventually, he found his spot back on the window again, his ears up and alert, his tail wrapped neatly around his leg. 

That night when Alfred had gone to bed, he had gone happier than he ever had before. he felt this new surge of life inside him even when he just thought about Arthur. all of his work, so much work, it had come to fruition! maybe it had been because Arthur was the only person whom he didn't insist on changing the eyes of. Arthur with a cats eye would be beautiful, but Alfred found himself much preferring his natural ones, or maybe it was just because Arthur was the one! Alfred chose that to be his reasoning.  
He had woken up just as happy and happily walked downstairs to make him and Arthur some breakfast, stopping for a second to see if he could hear Arthur awake. he assumed he was still sleeping when silence was the only response he got and so he went on his way to cook.  
He was disappointed that Arthur was still sleeping when he dropped off his food but hoped Arthur would enjoy it anyway. at some point, they would have to introduce a schedule for the Britons sleep.  
After leaving the food Alfred went on with his day. mostly cleaning up the room Arthur had first awoken in, as well as the rest of the building. When there was just one man doing so much, he always had to put hours into cleaning. Eventually, lunch rolled around and he grabbed something to eat, deciding that Arthur wouldn't be hungry, as he had been given a large breakfast. he walked up to check on Arthur, having not heard him wake yet, hoping Arthur hadn't died due to complications he hadn't thought of.   
He knocked on the door politely, and walked in after again, getting no response.  
"you didn't eat your breakfast," he noticed the full plate and glass left on the dresser.

If Arthur was perfectly honest, he hadn't heard Alfred come in. he was far too distracted by the idea of escape, of leaving, of getting out of here. but he continued to ignore him, deciding to pretend his ignorance was purposeful.  
"you're going to get sick if you don't eat" Alfred lectured.  
Arthur just let his ears flatten against his head and his tail swish freely. Alfred took it as a good sign, everything he had attached to Arthur was working.  
"I thought you might want to go outside" his voice softened again, and this, at least, got him a response.  
"what? wanting to take your pet for a walk? too bad, I can't walk properly yet anyway2 he spat back with venom.   
Alfred clearly stopped himself from saying something. "you don't need to be able to walk to go outside. I could carry you, or I could get a wheelchair to help you out" the only reason he was offering was that Arthur wouldn't be able to get up and run away.  
Arthur said nothing, keeping his gaze set outside. after a while of silence, Alfred just sighed and left, closing doors behind him. 

Arthur stayed where he was for several hours. he felt no want to get up and move, he just closed his eyes and imagined falling from the window, landing easily and then just taking off, running through the woods, running home. These thoughts carried on into his dreams as he drifted off into sleep.

Alfred had left Arthurs room with a grudge. if Arthur kept up this behaviour, he would have to be punished. he wasn't eating, he was being rude, and he was going to have to be taught how to act properly. for now, Alfred would let him go. surely Arthur just needed to get used to his new environment.  
he continued on to spend the day cleaning, there was a lot of work to be done and he was just one man, which meant he spent at least a couple of hours a day cleaning up. Arthur would have to start helping him as soon as he could.  
He started making their dinner at around 5 that evening. he sat down by himself and ate his own with little more company than Lika who was sleeping in the corner.   
eventually, he collected Arthurs food in a tray and walked up to his room.

he frowned when he noticed Arthur was sleeping. Arthur had a habit of doing that. Knowing how sunny it was outside, Alfred didn't feel happy letting Arthur sleep by the window. he had such fair skin and knew Arthur could burn easily, especially in this heat, so he placed the food down, and walked over to him, scooping him up gently in his arms and then lying against the bed. Arthur clearly noticed the change in position because he moved to curl up.  
Alfred stroked a hand through his hair and left him, picking up the uneaten breakfast from that morning.  
Arthur had a lot coming up, and the next morning, Arthur would be meeting with the two friends that had helped Arthur make him. Alfred's friends had high expectations and Alfred had to prove that their help had been worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... i read a comment on the last chapter that made me happy and accidentally kicked the charger out my laptop... it turned off and uh, i lost all 2,500 words of work for this chapter... so i had to write it all up again. I hope you guys think it was worth it and enjoy this!  
> Please comment, i live for comments.


	4. Lion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter warnings: weird talk about sex (no actual sex)

When Arthur finally woke up, he glanced around his room. Why wasn't this all just one big nightmare? Why?  
He wasn't sure what time it was, there was no clock in his room, but the only food on the counter was what had been left the night before, so he knew Alfred had yet to come and give him some breakfast. His stomach rumbled at the thought of food. It had been a while since he'd eaten and he eyed the food on the counter. A bite would hurt...  
His thoughts were shoved out the window when he heard a knock on the door and saw Alfred walk in. He refused to give the man the pleasure of knowing he ate.  
"How are you feeling?" Once again he had food and frowned when he noticed Arthur still hadn't eaten. If he continued to starve himself, this was going to get dangerous...  
"Fine" Arthur said begrudgingly, scratching at one of his ears as it flattened against his head, the other standing up.  
"Here, you need to eat," Alfred said, placing the tray on the table at the side of the bed. He was starting to get worried.  
"I don't want to eat"  
"Why not?" Arthur was still insisting on not eating, and not doing as he was told. Maybe Alfred had to be more forceful?  
"I'm not hungry"  
"Arthur its been almost 2 days."  
"I'm not hungry" he had a bit of a growl in the back of his throat. he crossed his arms and held his ground.  
"You know, Arthur, you're being quite rude," Alfred said flatly, raising his voice just a little. Arthurs ears pricked up, as did his tail, and he found himself doing something he hadn't expected to do, and he hissed. At that moment, he looked and felt more animalistic than he was comfortable with. 

Alfred had to take a second to pause. He breathed out, which only made him realise he had held his breath for a second. "There are people coming over today Arthur, and if you don't calm down, you are going to be punished." He said, the calmness of his voice was unnerving and Arthur had to bring himself to look away.  
"You don't understand just how much you have here, but you will once it been taken from you." When silence followed, Alfred left the food, picked up Arthurs uneaten dinner and left.

Arthur felt a horrible feeling overcome him when he thought back to how animalistic he was. He couldn't less the thing Alfred had turned him into to change him, not like that at least. He was supposed to be able to stand up and stay strong, not let this thing consume him. still he felt his nails dig into one of his pillows, again and again, and again, he tore at the fabric, feathers going everywhere, he took his anger out on the pillows and the sheets and the blanket until the bed was nothing but a mess of fabric scraps and white feathers blowing around the room. If he'd had the energy he would have wanted to scratch the walls, the furniture, the curtains, that fucking picture on the wall that stared at him. 

Alfred had left more than annoyed, but he had no time to punish Arthur, he needed to make sure everything was ready for when his friends arrived. He was surprised by a knock on the door and realised time had passed much faster than he had expected. He walked to the door and opened it with a smile, "Francis! Gilbert!" the two men walked inside happily.  
"Bonjour Alfred, it has been too long" Francis turned to him, long blond hair flowing in the direction he moved. "you have nothing to show up, non?"  
Gilbert stayed quiet for now, the pale man just smiling at his friend.  
"of course, and I will show you, Arthur, soon enough, but first, you should eat"  
They all agreed and walked to the dining room where they sat down for some lunch Alfred ate quickly and dismissed himself to check on Arthur before the others saw him.

Alfred quickly walked upstairs, for once he didn't knock on the door before he walked in. Arthur wouldn't have known anyway because, at this point, he had tuckered himself out and had ended up falling asleep in the shreds and feathers.  
Alfred was quickly hit by a wave of emotions when he saw him. On one hand, Arthur seemed comfortable and happy and natural, everything Alfred wanted him to be. On the other, however, he felt his face twitch with anger. he had to present Arthur looking like this? with feathers in his hair and torn sheets?  
"Wake up!" he couldn't hide the anger from his voice.  
Arthur jumped up a little, his ears perked up and his tail poofed up a little.  
"What did you do?!"  
"I made it more comfortable..." Arthur needed his nails partially into a pillow. He tried to keep a cocky front, but he had never seen Alfred this angry and knew it wasn't a good sign.  
"You knew for a fact that there would be people coming over today"  
The Brit tried to turn his back to him but Alfred walked in.  
"no. I told you, you need to stop being rude Arthur."  
The brit growled but Alfred brushed it off.  
"no! you are NOT doing this to me today" He grabbed one of Arthurs' wrists but the brit used his other hand to scratch him, leaving 4 large bleeding slashes on Alfred's arm. Alfred grabbed the other hand as well. He just needed a second to think. a second to fix this...  
Arthur didn't give him that second. he pulled back with what strength he had, sending feathers flying onto both of them.  
"I made you! I made you perfect! All I wanted was a little decency"  
"Do I look bloody perfect to you?! Really?! I'm a monster!"  
"No! you do look perfect Arthur! how do you not see it?" whenever he spoke about how amazing he found Arthur, he was so passionate about what he said. what was wrong with him?  
"I'm just a bloody experiment" Arthur blinked away tears once more.  
"no, you're not" Alfred still kept his grip on Arthur, but his tone had softened, "you're more than that. you're the one! the perfect one! I made you better than any other being on this planet!"  
Arthur was quickly growling again but they were both interrupted by the sound of the other two men coming to the room.

"Alfred?" a German accent rung out almost in a sing-song voice and Alfred let Arthur go and rushed to the bedroom door, brushing feathers out his hair. "Gilbert, Francis, I'm sorry to keep you waiting"  
"so where is this champion?" Gilbert asked with a smile, though his eyebrow raised when he saw Alfred's arm and the last few feathers that were in his hair.  
Alfred decided he could only be honest, especially when Arthur was acting up like this. "He's still getting used to the feeling of both human and animal instincts connecting. he's a little hostile, but you can see him, just forgive the mess. he decided to take his instincts out on the bedding"  
Arthur glared suspiciously at Alfred from his spot on the bed, not that it did much. alfred stepped aside and the two men. Francis stayed stood by the door, watching Arthur from where he was with his eyes wide. clearly, he was impressed. gilbert happily got closer to him. "wow... what a beauty"  
Arthur glared back with a suspicious gaze.  
"I told you, it finally worked! after so much trial and error"  
Arthur flinched away when Gilbert outstretched a hand. "little jumpy eh?"  
"he just needs a bit of training and he'll be perfect" Alfred agreed  
Arthur let out a small growl at that.  
"can he speak still?" Gilbert tried to touch one of Arthurs' ears but he backed up.  
"he can, yes, he'd just being pouty" that comment made Arthur glare at Alfred. the whole thing did really. he pulled back further on the bed.

Arthurs attention was now drawn to Francis, who stood by the door staring. The Frenchman smiled when they made eye contact. "he's perfect"  
Gilbert agreed with a nod, "all he needs is a collar with a little bell on it"  
"how much do you want for him?" Francis asked, taking a few steps closer, leaning down to look at him.  
Arthurs' ears flattened against his head and he hissed under his breath.  
"Oh, how cute" Francis didn't try to stroke him, but he clearly wanted to. "seriously Alfred. how much? he's clearly not trained, but I'll still pay good money"  
"whatever he offers, I'll pay double," Gilbert said from his spot on the floor.  
"he's not for sale," Alfred said, there was no way he was ever going to let Arthur leave in the hands of these men.  
"will he ever be?" Francis asked, "once you've made one for yourself?"  
Alfred had no plans of selling Arthur. Arthur wasn't just the animal these men saw him as, he was an art piece, he was amazing. There was no way in hell he could sell something like that. However, he knew Arthur needed to be punished, so he smirked a little when he said, "maybe. It shouldn't be too long. Though Francis, I assume you'd want to train him yourself. he could be a good bed slave"  
"I already said I'm paying more, he'd look perfect locked up in my spare room" Gilbert smirked and Alfred felt a small amount of fear run over him. Yes, Alfred was bad, but he hadn't ever forced himself on Arthur. but these men spoke of the idea openly. Arthur felt himself look to Alfred with a small amount of hope, almost begging him to not let these men have him.  
"well," Alfred smiled back to him, "if you're going to fight, I might as well put him up for auction. I'm sure more than just you two would like a chance. We can talk about it all another time" Alfred seemed as though he was going to lead the men out but Gilbert interrupted.  
"Is he a virgin?"  
"I suppose" Alfred guessed. Arthur had never made reference of a boyfriend at home.  
"Maybe we should at least test if it is? see how tight he is? if Alfred has no toys, we could always judge for ourselves~"  
Alfred hid his scowl.  
"what do you think about that Arthur?" Francis asked with a smile. he hadn't taken his eyes off him since walking in the room. The brit just growled and hissed.  
"I'm just picturing those cute ears twitching in pleasure, I can't forget about the tail of course!" Gilbert reached for him again, and Arthur backed up once more.  
"Will he have a heat?" Francis asked. the question also peaked gilberts curiosity, but Alfred couldn't answer it.  
"I don't know" he'd never gotten this far before, "We'll just have to wait and see"  
"you must call me if he goes into heat, I want to be here for it" Francis murmured from his spot in the room.  
Arthur was clearly getting more and more uncomfortable. Alfred noticed the complete look of fear and frustration on his face and decided that for now, the torture was enough. for now.  
"I'll be sure to let you know, but for now, I think we should leave him be."  
The men reluctantly nodded, but Arthur was happy that Alfred was ending the interaction.

They had been there for a while, and it had gotten late. Alfred leads the two men to the front door and wished them a good night. francis left but Gilbert stayed for a second. "Alfred, I need you to promise me that if he goes into heat, you will call me. I want to see it" he smiled at the thought.   
"I still don't know whether he'll have one or not, but if he does, I will do my best to let you know"  
Both men smiled, "you did well Alfred. all of this work really paid off. just a little training and he'll be perfect, right now he seems a little... feral"  
"don't worry, I can beat that out of him." both men nodded and Gilbert headed off.  
Despite wanting to punish Arthur properly, Alfred knew he would have to wait, and so he ignored Arthur for the rest of the night.

Arthur had torn his pillows even more but he was finally alone, and he could thank Alfred for that. he was happy to sleep knowing he was alone.   
Arthur slept deeply and comfortably in his new-made mess of a bed, which would explain why he didn't wake up when Alfred walked into his room at midnight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope y'all are getting into this, don't worry if i don't update for a couple of days, just got some stuff going on, but ill be doing my best to update as much as possible.  
> Please comment, it makes me feel good inside.
> 
> P.S today is my birthday


	5. Jaguar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur gets his first real taste of punishment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning- spiders!

Alfred looked down at the sleeping Brit. Arthur had curled up against himself on the bed, which was still littered with torn fabric and feathers. Alfred scowled, he had had to order in some more sheets, and they weren't cheap. He had tot akee a breath before he started. A tight collar was wrapped around Arthur's neck. It wasn't fabric as most are, but a strong rubber meaning it would be almost impossible to break without the use of the right tools. Attached to it was a leash of the same design. If Arthur insisted on acting like an animal, especially around others, he would be treated like one.

Arthur woke up when he felt himself pulled by the neck and his body hit the floor, pulling with it feathers and rags. he looked up to Alfred, noting his presence in the room, confusion quickly turns to anger when he noticed the lead in his hands. A small growl erupted from his throat and he tried to scratch at the collar around his neck, though it did little more than redden the skin around it.  
Alfred pulled at the leash again to stop him, "I told you, if you didn't change your attitude, you were going to get punished" Arthur continued to claw at his neck. "you're not going to get it off" with that Arthur stopped, and instead decided to lunge backwards, hoping to pull Alfred over, but he had underestimated the doctors strength and had simply wound up choking himself on his collar. Alfred kneeled down to where Arthur was on the floor, "I've been kind enough to control you with a lead, Arthur, do not make me opt for a whip in its place"  
Arthur let out another growl, but Alfred didn't listen and stood back up, yanking at the lead, which was the only indication Arthur needed to understand that Alfred would drag him if he needed to.  
Slowly, Arthur got to his feet, his steps till unstable. alfred didn't stop pulling him along as they walked. Occasionally he tugged the lead too hard and Arthur would collapse on the floor again, but he had to quickly get back to his feet or Alfred would keep pulling. The American was kind enough to stop pulling when they got to the stairs so Arthur wouldn't fall and badly hurt himself, though the second they reached the bottom of the stairs, the harsh treatment continued through the house until they stepped outside the back door.

Arthur was instantly shivering. He was only wearing shorts and a thin shirt, and apparently, the cold weather had returned with a vengeance. He wrapped his arms around himself and just tried to stay standing, his legs feeling even weaker now due to the cold.  
He didn't know how Alfred could see where they were going because it was pitch black outside and Arthur could only guess that it wasn't even 1 in the morning yet, but he didn't have much time to think before he was being dragged through the woods, nettles and weeds digging into his legs, sticks lying everywhere tripping him with every step.  
"W-what a-are we do-doing" his voice trembled with his shivering, so he spoke with a little more bite to show that he wasn't scared, but in truth, he just wanted to go back inside and go to bed.  
"Since you've proven that you're unable to live inside without destroying things, you can stay out here until you've learned your lesson," Alfred said back, still pulling Arthur.  
Eventually, their walking must have triggered some sort of sensor light because a bright yellow light showed off their environment. Trees surrounded them, the darkness behind them making them seem trapped in an endless forest. Arthur tried to turn to see if he could see the house from where they were but it was too dark, and Alfred quickly pulled his attention back to their destination. The light had come from above the door of the old shed Arthur had seen from his room and he shuddered seeing it up close. Clearly, it needed work, the roof was mostly gone, laying on the floor now, and the whole thing was covered in bugs. Arthur didn't have time to pray that he wasn't going to have to go in there before Alfred pulled him in. It was worse on the inside, the floor was still damp from the rain not long ago, and he was sure he saw a rat running out at the sound of their footsteps. Arthur stayed quiet. he wouldn't risk letting Alfred hear a shake in his voice.  
Suddenly, he pulled Arthurs lead so the brit fell against the floor and he quickly tried to get back up and away from the cold wet slime of the floor but Alfred kept him down as he hooked the lead high on one of the walls. Its position meant that Arthur couldn't properly relax, and would have to spend his time awkwardly sat up. Arthur quickly tried pulling at the leash, trying to get it down, not that he was sure what he would do if he did get it down.  
"No. you asked for this" Alfred crouched a little, " I told you what would happen, and now, you're going to spend some time in here."   
Arthur looked away but Alfred grabbed his chin and forced him to look back. "When I come back for you, if I come back for you, we can go inside, and there will be a hot bath waiting for you and a plate of food. I am going to ask you if you are ready to come inside, and you are going to say 'yes doctor' or you will continue to stay out here until Gilbert pays me and you can spend your life locked in a bedroom ready to be used."  
Arthur bit back a hiss and pulled away from Alfred's hand, though apparently Alfred was done with him. he stood up and headed to the door, "do yourself a favour and pray it doesn't rain." he closed the door behind him as he left and Arthur heard it lock.  
He quickly got to work on trying to get the lead free but it was tied too tightly and it was getting hard to move his fingers as the weather had rendered them red and stiff.  
It turned out that he didn't have long to work anyway as soon enough, the sensor light had turned off and Arthur was plunged into darkness.  
Arthur quickly looked around, hoping there would be some sort of light that he could see, but nothing. Every few seconds he'd feel something running across his skin and quickly bat it away. Occasionally, there would be nothing there, but every so often he would feel the body of a bug be brushed away and he panicked, constantly brushing at his skin.  
He could put up with this... he could... then he felt a small drop of water splash against one of his ears.

Alfred heard the rain against his window as he walked into Arthurs bedroom, ready to replace the sheets and pillows, and smiled. Arthur needed to learn that his actions had consequences, and pretty soon he would learn that this consequence wasn't even a particularly bad one compared to what else might come.

Arthur was still sat, shivering and whimpering to himself in the corner of the shed when the sun rose. part of him wished he could return to the darkness because now he could see the number of spiders and centipedes and just bugs that had settled on his skin and he quickly brushed himself down, his skin feeling rubbery due to the water which had settled on it. The rain had quieted to be just a sprinkle, however, as the cold water settled on his skin, Arthur wished it back, as the temperature dropped, and the water cooled, leaving Arthur colder than before.  
His day was slow and dragged. The bugs had found shelter from the rain, finally leaving Arthur alone for a moment, though he still eyes the occasional spider leg that stood out from the cracks. He'd expected Alfred would come back around noon, he couldn't leave him out here all day... He hoped and prayed Alfred would come and let him back inside. There were light grey clouds in the sky which blocked off Arthurs view of the sun, but he was sure that by now it must be high in the sky, and he still couldn't hear Alfred's footsteps. He prepared himself for when Alfred returned, all he had to do was nod and say 'yes doctor' and he could go back inside... he couldn't bring himself to do it even in his imagination. He wouldn't give in to Alfred... he would spit in his face and tell him to piss off and put up with whatever happens after!  
With a slight new fire inside, Arthur puffed up his chest to himself and stood his ground, expecting Arthur to show up... but he didn't. Arthur stared at the door, occasionally flicking bugs off him, one of his ears twitching as a spider ran over it. The sun moved father across the sky and Arthur kept his eyes on the door, but he heard nothing but the sounds of tiny mouse feet against the grass outside- and occasionally the wood inside.  
The idea that he might be stuck here shot a fear into Arthur that he had never felt before. He was exhausted, having only gotten a few hours of sleep before Alfred had woken him and with the stress of being here, and the constant fear, his body was ready to let him pass out, but his brain wasn't. He shivered from the cold and curling up into himself didn't work as the lead pulled his head back. Lastly, he was starving. in the last 2 days, he'd had little more than a sip of water and his stomach ached, begging for food. He was going to starve out here... or freeze... or just pass out and never wake up...  
He didn't like to admit it, but he couldn't stop tears streaming down his face and joining the rain that had already soaked his face. He didn't want to die here, even if he was murdered inside the manor, at least he would be warm and fed. The sky darkened and Arthur was thankful that he could hide his tears in the darkness. it must have been almost 20 hours since Alfred had left Arthur out there, and Arthur had to hope that Alfred would be back soon, he had to, he didn't want to die here, and he was scared to close his eyes.

arthur had stopped wiping away the bugs after a while, he just leaned back as comfortably as possible and hoped and prayed to every god he didn't believe in. At some point, despite his vision clouded with tears and raindrops, he saw the sensor light outside turn on and his heart jumped with hope when he heard the door unlock. Alfred soon came into view, Lika was by his leg, and he held a black umbrella over his head. He didn't look at Arthur with the anger the brit had expected, he just leaned down, and held the umbrella over both of them. "are you ready to come inside?"  
"y-yes doctor..."  
Alfred nodded and quickly unhooked Arthur, they both stepped out into the forest again, and Alfred kept the umbrella over him as they slowly walked back to the house. Every so often he would catch a book running across Arthurs skin and wipe it away for him, though it didn't do much since the walk home resulted in mud splashing up Arthur anyway.  
Alfred was kind enough to walk slowly so Arthur could keep to his own pace. The Brit moved slowly, his legs stiff, though he put a little more effort in so he didn't annoy Alfred any more. His body trembled, but when he realised Alfred wasn't going to drag him, he let himself relax a little more.  
They got inside and immediately Arthur was met with the warmth of the house. He assumed Alfred had a live fire somewhere but his mind was elsewhere. Alfred was taking his collar off but he could only think of one thing... he could smell food, he didn't care what food, but he knew he wanted it and his mouth watered. they continued inside and Arthur paused for a second. he was trailing in the mud behind him. he looked at Alfred, who turned back when he noticed he stopped. arthur was frozen. "i-"  
"It's okay, it can be cleaned later" Alfred nodded with a smile that somehow made Arthur both comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time.  
Arthur nodded slowly, the movement seeming twitchy since he was still covered in freezing water. He continued to follow Alfred, who took him back to the second floor, but they stopped outside a room Arthur hadn't been too before. alfred opened the door and Arthur almost melted with relief and happiness. the room was large, though its main feature was a large claw-foot bathtub in the centre which was filled with steaming water and bubbles. the entire room was misted with steam which was already enough to warm Arthur.   
"There's a spare pair of clothes and towels in the cabinet over there, spend as much time as you need in here. There's food waiting for you, but it won't stay warm forever" Alfred said, with a nod. he was going to show Arthur what happened when he was good. "come downstairs and find me when you're done."

Arthur was left alone, hearing the door close behind him. he quickly locked it. Slowly, he stripped himself of the muddy, spider-infested clothes that he wore, folding the fabric and leaving it on the side, not sure what else to do with it. he looked at the tub as though it was a hallucination and his mind was creating it out of pure desperation and want, but when he dared to let his hand feel the water, it was very much real.  
Slowly, he climbed into the tub, completely relaxing as he was engulfed by warm water. He closed his eyes and if there wasn't food waiting for him, he could let himself fall asleep.  
Eventually, he stopped relaxing and properly ashed himself, cleaning his legs of mud and squished bugs. it was strange feeling his new ears and tail react with water, his tail moved slowly while submerged and he was fascinated watching it under the water. his ears weren't such a positive experience. he hated the feeling of them getting wet, so he was careful when he washed his hair and used a washcloth to help when it came to his ears. He didn't know whether to use shampoo on the fur or not, but he risked it and soon enough he was climbing out.  
It might have been the relief of being inside or the relaxation that came with the bath, but Arthur climbed out with more strength in his legs and walked over to dry himself off and redress himself. He didn't recognise the clothes Alfred had given him. he had a simple shirt that felt almost sickly casual for where he was, and a pair of long black pants which were surprisingly comfortable. Arthur assumed they were supposed to be pyjama pants and Alfred had chosen them so Arthur could sleep while still dressed. Unlike the shorts, these had a small hole cut in which Arthurs tail fit through perfectly. he was thankful for the understanding.   
He washed the trail of water he had left from the tub to the cupboard, part of him was just used to cleaning up after himself, part of him didn't want to push Alfred.

When he was done, he picked up his old clothes, unlocked the door, and walked downstairs. Alfred was in the kitchen, dishing up the most delicious smelling food. Arthur stood at the doorway wondering how to get his attention but apparently, he didn't need to because Alfred noticed him quickly. He walked over and took the clothes from Arthurs' hand, putting the clothes in a laundry hamper. "feeling better?" Alfred smiled, returning to dishing out their dinner.  
Arthur just nodded, staring at the food as Arthur plated it.  
"If you behave, if you just behave, you'll have rewards al the time, but I realised that you wouldn't believe me until I showed you, so I did" he picked up both of their plates when he had finished filling them with food.  
"Thank you..." He said, his ears partially dropping. he assumed he would follow Alfred to the dining room but they went further into a large living room. There was a large open fireplace and Alfred had thoughtfully placed a large table in front of it with a chair, that way Arthur could eat, and warm himself at the same time. Alfred sat across from him.  
Alfred wasn't used to company while he ate, and he assumed Arthur wouldn't talk much, but it was nice.  
"Eat up" he placed Arthurs plate on the table and Arthur immediately went after his fork and ate, losing all sense of etiquette. Alfred let him, knowing that he was hungry. Arthur finished quickly, he didn't even register what he was eating, but when Alfred happily gave him more, he ate that too. He had never been so happy to eat before and ate 3 full plates in the time Alfred had eaten one. he relaxed against the back of his chair, basking in being full of food, and the heat which warmed him perfectly.  
"Everything that was broken in your room has been replaced, sheets, pillows and mattress. It's not quite the quality it was before, but given your efforts, you should find it comfier. I don't want to see anything else destroyed."  
Arthur nodded but knew he was going to have a hard time stopping himself. "Well... I do need something for these" he outstretched his nails, "they hurt when they get too long..."  
Alfred thought for a while, Arthur probably wouldn't be happy at the idea of an oversized scratching post, "If you do find yourself needing to, please try to stick with the curtains. they're tough, so they'll help you, and I can replace them without much work. if you really, really have to, you can use the pillows as well, but I doubt they'll do much. I just want you to be comfortable, I'm sure we can work out something for the future, but this is okay now."  
Arthur was thankful he had been given that freedom.  
"You're probably tired" Alfred stood up and took their plates, "you look it. go and get some rest, I promise I won't wake you tomorrow morning so feel free to rest as long as you want"  
Arthur stood up, and nodded, "thank you for the meal..."  
alfred nodded back and let Arthur leave while he cleaned up. Alfred hated the time he had to take from his own research in order to clean the house and maintain everything, but help was untrustworthy and expensive. He would teach Arthur to help, slowly, and reward him. Judging by how compliant Arthur was before, punishment worked.

Arthur walked into his room, his eyes immediately going to the bed. There were more pillows than before on the bed and he was thankful for that, knowing he would be able to curl up comfortably. he sat on the mattress and almost felt himself sink into it, it was so soft he wondered if it was entirely stuffed with feathers. Alfred was doing his best to make Arthur more comfortable... he knew Alfred would never let him go, not after putting so much into Arthur, he was going to be here forever... he could never escape...  
Arthur curled up among the sheets, hating how comfortable he was. he would just have to try to be good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's an extra long chapter because i'm in a good mood, this is still the very surface of this fic, and there's a lot more to come and it gets a lot darker, so, be aware.
> 
> oh what? am i here begging for comments again? goddamn right i am. i just like seeing what y'all think of this that way i know if im doing things right or wrong, so if you have anything to say, please do leave a comment. thank you!


	6. Lynx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: slightly slower chapter. A bit more awkward sex talk. Just a tiny bit though.

Alfred kept his promise the next morning and didn't wake Arthur up, knowing the man would be exhausted. He gave himself a little time to get some work done. It was so rare that he had the time to continue with his research, now it mostly consisted of simply watching Arthur develop, but that didn't mean he was content with putting everything else on the backburner. He sat in his office, writing up about how Arthur had reacted to punishment and to the idea of rewards, but he didn't get to spend too much time doing so before he heard the floor creaking in Arthur's room, and he knew he was awake.  
He let his work wait, and got up, having to go downstairs to make Arthur some breakfast. He decided that he would eat too since he found himself focusing more on Arthur than he did himself.

Arthur had woken feeling content. The feeling quickly made him uneasy. He shouldn't let himself relax here knowing that Alfred was waiting around every corner and keeping him locked inside, but after the previous day, it felt nice to be clean, and fed, and curled up in a comfy bed. He stood up, happy his legs had regained their strength for the most part and decided to walk around the room if only for the purpose of basking in the happiness of not having to worry about falling over everywhere he went. Eventually, as normal, he perched himself on the window. Perhaps he could ask Alfred if there was anything he could do in his room apart from just sit and wait, though after hearing Francis and Gilbert talk about him, he didn't feel particularly confident asking Alfred about things to do in his bedroom.  
He found himself half falling asleep again on the window, as he often did. He heard the door open and Alfred presumably place food on the side as always, but he didn't have the energy to acknowledge it and was happy when Alfred left without a word.  
After he had slept a little longer on the windowsill, he sat up and looked over at the food. Alfred had already seen him break, and eat, so it wouldn't make much of a difference if he let himself eat again. He pulled the tray over to the bed, sat down, and enjoyed his food.

Alfred left him alone, his mind set on doing more for himself that day. Which mostly meant cleaning and working. He went through to the back door where mud still trailed in and started to mop it up when he heard Lika give out a soft bark, meaning that the mail had arrived. He continued to focus his efforts on cleaning until he heard a pitter patter of paws and the dog ran into the room with 2 letters and a newspaper in her mouth, an action which resulted in a soft pat and the promise of treats.  
The letters were nothing interesting and Alfred threw them to one side. He wasn't the kind of man who read the news a lot, however, the cover caught his eye. He had had Arthur for almost a week and a half now, if he included the days it took for the surgery to slowly progress, and this was the first time he had ever seen any kind of indication that the man was missing. In one of the columns of the front page was a picture of Arthur. Alfred looked at it remembering how Arthur looked without his ears on his head and he frowned. He looked much better now.  
The fact that people had realised that Arthur was missing was something to worry about. He had gone missing halfway through his route, meaning that the police were most likely going to be showing up soon to ask questions and Alfred didn't believe that Arthur was trained enough to stay locked up in his room silently to avoid suspicion. However, it had taken a long time for anybody to notice Arthur was gone, meaning that he probably wasn't a high profile case, and therefore, Alfred most likely had the time he needed to train Arthur properly. He hoped.  
He left the newspaper on the kitchen counter for future reference but faced it down, not liking the old Arthur ghost which stared into the room from its pages.

From his room upstairs Arthur had grown bored simply sitting, and wondered if Alfred would be okay with him walking outside the 4 walls he slept in. Perhaps he could find a way out...  
The chances were small, however. The building only had three doors, all of which were constantly locked tight by Alfred. The windows on the first floor were also locked constantly, it made sense given the situation as well as the current weather, though it meant Arthur would have to keep looking. His footsteps caused the floor to creak underneath him, but when he didn't hear Alfred's call of alarm, he relaxed. He tried every window he came across to see if it was unlocked. Even on the second floor, he was sure he could fashion some kind of rope to help him down, but they were all bolted shut.  
His search took him through several rooms. Most were nothing of interest, he came across a few locked doors, a few spare bedrooms, another large bathroom. He was sure at some point he had stumbled his way into Alfred's room, as unlike the others, the sheets on the bed were dishevelled and the room contained more. There was a framed doctorate on the wall in Alfred's name, hung next to several other certificates. He had wondered whether Alfred was a real doctor or not, but now he wondered how Alfred was ever allowed to practice medicine. On the dressing table was a pair of thin glasses Arthur hadn't seen Alfred wear before, and a small copy of the cask of Amontillado, which made Arthur shiver just to think about. Still, it meant that there were books in this house, and reading would surely help to beat away the boredom. He continued to look with increased interest, Alfred's closet was filled with suits for the most part, plus a few more casual pieces of clothing which Arthur couldn't picture him in. There were several boxed hidden at the bottom but he didn't risk snooping so far.  
He had just left Alfred's room and closed the door behind him when he heard Alfred call him, "Arthur, can you come down here?"  
Arthur didn't respond with words, he just headed for the stairs and walked down. He passed a large grandfather clock as he did and was surprised that it was already noon, though it meant another excuse to eat, and for that, he was happy.  
He followed Alfred's voice to the kitchen, where the man hummed to himself. how dare he act so casual when he was forcing Arthur into this situation.  
Arthur walked in, his bare feet making soft sounds against the dark slate floor causing Alfred to look up.  
Alfred pulled a face when he saw Arthur, it was something between confusion and a frown, but no matter what it was, Arthur was scared of what it might mean. Until of course Alfred said, "We ought to get you some more clothes." Arthur did only have two outfits here, after all, one being his old work uniform, the other being what he wore now. "we'll have to go out shopping eventually."  
Arthur froze where he was. He was sure Alfred meant that he would go out shopping alone and leave Arthur behind- hopefully not in the company of Francis or Gilbert- but there was a small part of him that hoped Alfred meant him as well. "go out... shopping?"  
Alfred was busy getting various foods out of the fridge, "in a few days if you behave yourself"  
"I-i=I promise I will!" he stumbled over his words with excitement, but he stopped himself after that, not wanting to let Alfred know just how much he wanted that. not that he didn't think the American already knew.  
"Great, because I need your help with lunch"  
"my help?" Arthur went back into a little panic. He, personally, loved his cooking, especially his baking, but the critiques he'd received off friends and family didn't live up to his own opinions.  
"Yes, its nothing hard, don't worry. you do know how to cook right?" he raised an eyebrow  
"a little I guess..." which meant no to Alfred. That wasn't too bad, he could teach Arthur how to cook, it would just be another step in his training.   
"I'll teach you what you need to know"  
Alred beckoned Arthur further into the kitchen, he wasn't making anything too complicated luckily. It would be easier if he gave Arthur a knife and asked him to chop veg for now, but that was a little too risky and they both knew it, so for now, he simply asked him to wash them.  
Alfred quickly diced as Arthur washed, and Arthur realised they were making soup. "its a cold day, nothing will warm you up more than soup" Alfred smiled and Arthur hated it. he hated that smile. he hated how quickly Alfred was able to cut the vegetables, knowing he was good with a knife. He hated how he was so easily talked into doing this without much payment. He hated how he kept quiet about all of this, but he liked the lack of punishment.  
After a while, they both threw their work into the pot with water and stock and Alfred set Arthur the task of mixing it. Arthur imagined taking the boiling liquid and throwing it on the other, watching him scream in pain as he ran. The idea stayed only a fantasy, and he was quickly reminded of the idea of going shopping with Alfred. Being outside, in the real world... he would be able to run to someone and beg for help at the very least. freedom was close if he just behaved...  
"you've picked this up quickly" Alfred smiled as he grabbed each of them a neatly decorated bowl and some bread.  
"Well, it's pretty simple..." Arthur didn't like the idea of Alfred assuming he was a good chef. he didn't want to have to cook for Alfred, and he certainly didn't want to have to cook for Alfred only for the man to have horrible food resulting in his punishment. There was always the idea of poison...  
"Don't look down on yourself so much. The first steps we take with most things are simple, they're still steps" Arthur stepped back as Alfred took the label for him and dished out their food, placing the bowls onto plates with the bread and cutlery alongside.

They ate in the dining room this time, and Arthur found the silence unnerving. He never knew if Alfred would break the silence with a threat or something sickly sweet, so he hoped their meal would stay quiet. Alfred placed Arthurs food in from of him before taking a seat of his own.  
"It smells really good, thank you" Arthur didn't give him the luxury of a smile, but the lack of a frown on the Englishman's face was enough to put Alfred at east. The way Arthur spoke, however, did remind Alfred that perhaps he was being a little too lax with how he taught him. After a punishment so severe, he ought to start to rewire Arthurs words immediately.  
"thank you...?" he raised an eyebrow and watched Arthur as he tried to think, wondering what he had said wrong.  
Arthur quickly corrected himself when he realised, "thank you, doctor" he nodded his head a little. Alfred knew that was something that would have to work on. "sorry..." had he already blown his chances of going out?  
"Its nothing to worry about so long as you get it right from now on" Alfred refused to let a small slip up ruin their meal, "eat up"  
In sync, they both raised a full spoon, blew away the hot air to cool it, and ate. Arthur was right, simple as it was, the soup smelled and tasted delicious, and with the patter of rain on the windows, it was difficult not to feel cosy. Unlike the night before, Arthur stuck to one serving, as did Alfred.  
"Could I ask you to wash the dishes now that you've finished?" Alfred asked though Arthur could really only give one answer.  
"of course... doctor" he added quickly on the end, resulting in a smile from Alfred. Arthur stood and picked up his own dishes before walking over to Alfred and picking up his.  
"thank you, Arthur, please come to my study when you've finished, its just down from your room" he didn't need to tell Arthur where it was, Arthur could hear the fast typing from his room when Alfred was working. Arthur nodded again and watched Alfred leave.

He walked back to the kitchen, quickly putting everything on the counter. He wondered why a man as rich as Alfred didn't have a dishwasher, but there wasn't much point thinking about it and he filled the sink with warm water and dish soap. Lika had taken enjoyment in following him to the kitchen and sitting in the corner, keeping an eye on him.  
Arthur wondered if Alfred had some kind of camera in the dog because the way she stared was creepy, and he knew Alfred wasn't above hurting animals to achieve his means. He certainly wasn't above hurting Arthur. As he had been taught by his mother growing up, Arthur started to wash the cutlery first, his hand coming across the knife Alfred had used to chop their veg. he cleaned it, wondering if Alfred would know it was missing. The blade was about the length of Arthurs middle finger and the handle was black and matte. He realised very quickly that the knife was part of a set in a holder on the counter, and it would be very obvious if it was missing, so he sighed and slid it back into its spot, getting on with cleaning everything else.  
It took Arthur a solid half hour trying to figure out where everything went in the cupboards once he had dried it, but as he placed the last fork in the cutlery drawer and pushed the last bowl into a cupboard, he relaxed knowing the job was done. He pats Lika once as he walked past her, ready to go back to his room for a small rest.

Passing Alfreds study was enough of a reminder that Arthur had to go inside, so he stopped for a second, pretending that it wasn't just an accident that he had remembered to be here, and he knocked on the door in the same way Alfred did on his.  
"come in"Alfred's voice wrang, clearly distracted. Arthur slowly pushed the door open and walked a few steps in before Alfred made a gesture for him to come in a little more and soon enough he was stood at the opposite side of Alfred's desk. The man was writing as well as typing quickly, alternating between the two. Arthur saw his name on both screens and pretended to ignore it while he tried to read the words surrounding it.  
"I-I finished" he forced out when he realised he had been stood in silence for some time.  
Alfred stopped working for a second at that and smiled. "It took you a while, but I suppose it is an unfamiliar kitchen, so I understand. Thank you for your help. I'll request it again at dinner"  
Arthur nodded, he didn't like the idea of having to help again, but Alfred seemed happier and more relaxed than he did normally now.  
"Until then, the day is yours. do what you wish, feel free to explore the house."  
"thank you... doctor" Arthur nodded and when Alfred quickly dived back into work, he took it as a sign to leave and closed the door behind him.

Arthur hadn't expected the offer of being able to look around the house at his own leisure, but it was nice not to have the paranoia of possibly being caught. He avoided Alfred's room this time. With Alfred just a few doors away, it seemed too risky, so he kept looking until he found the stairs to the third floor.  
Alfred hadn't said anything was off limits, so he wandered upstairs. The floor was clearly dirtier and commanded less of Alfred's attention. Dirty, was an unfair judgment it was mostly just dusty and clearly, Alfred didn't come up a lot, which was strange considering this was a full third of his home. The hall was a lot shorter than on the floor below it, as there was a large room which took up half of the entire third floor, and a few rooms leading up to it. Arthur looked in each of them, finding nothing but storage, but then he dared to open the door to the largest room. The door was grand, and oak, and intricately carved. It was truly wasted being up here for no one to see.  
It was stiff to push open, and Arthurs force caused dust to fly up everywhere, into his eyes and ears and mouth, meaning he walked into the room spluttering and wiping his eyes, his ears shaking to try and clear themselves. "when he looked up, he assumed he would be staring into a room filled with hospital beds and the poor dead failed experiments Alfred had spoken about. He really didn't expect to look up and find the largest library he had ever seen in a home.  
The walls were covered with shelves, which also sat in neat rows in the room, everything filled with books to the point of bursting. There were even piles of books which had no place to stay on the shelves as they had filled up so easily. Had Alfred read all these? arthur closed the door behind him wanting to lock himself away from the dusty outside so he could look around in peace and silence.  
If there was a system of order, Arthur didn't understand it, as the books weren't in alphabetical order, or separated by genre or author. Arthur could only imagine it was the kind of situation where after living in a constant mess, you grow accustomed to where your things are, despite how cluttered it looks to an outsider.

Arthurs' eyes ran over every shelf. there was not a single gap apart from one, where Arthur assumed the cask of Amontillado was suppose to be. he walked over to every shelf, his hand running over every book, giving each and every one of them the same amount of love and care. He stopped when he got to to the windows. The room had three large windows, each with a deliberate seating area. The leftmost window had a cushion and a blanket messily thrown against it, but Arthur couldn't imagine for a second that Alfred would ever be in that position.  
Whether the seat was Alfreds or not, Arthur took it for himself and looked out the window. The distance between the window and the ground was almost intimidating. Arthur forgot any chance of escaping from the third floor, as even with the strongest rope, his body wouldn't be able to support him for long enough to help him down, and he would surely die. At least if he was going to be stuck here, he was stuck here with a place to read. He considered picking up a book to take back to his room but decided he would ask Alfred first.  
Arthur picked up a random book, the tell-tale heart. Apparently, Alfred had a thing for Po. He started to read it and was happy it was a short story as he finished just as he heard Alfred calling his name, meaning it was time to prepare dinner.  
Quickly, Arthur ran downstairs, brushing any dust off him and heading to the kitchen.

Helping with dinner wasn't much different than helping with lunch. Arthur helped Alfred make a salad, as well as season some chicken and put it in the oven.  
"you seem to have enjoyed your explorations," Alfred said as he slid off his oven gloves and hung them over the stove.  
"This place is bigger than I expected" Arthur nodded, "I only just found the third floor"  
"I could tell" Alfred placed a hand on Arthur's head, just between his ears, and tussled his hair, "you're covered in dust"  
it took a lot of effort not to pull away from Alfred's touch, but Arthur managed to stop himself. " I was wondering... doctor... if I could possibly take a book from the library back to my room?"  
Alfred looked as though he had only just remembered the libraries existence, possibly because he had forgotten about it. It wasn't often he went up there. He now had less and less time to read now that Arthur was around, but if it was something they could bond on, he certainly wasn't going to stop him.  
"Of course, take a few" he would have to clean upstairs as soon as possible, he didn't want Arthur to get sick from it being dirty, "you're free to spend as much time up there as you would like, but you have to let me know first."  
Arthur nodded, he wasn't sure why Alfred wanted to know, but he likely just wanted to monitor how much Arthur actually chose to sit in the library so he could take it away from him as a punishment.  
Alfred soon took the food from the oven and dished it out. They ate in relative silence, Arthur simply didn't want to talk and Alfred was trying a little too hard to think about how to start a conversation over books.  
"Could you wash the dishes again?" Alfred asked, standing up. He might not have asked twice in one day, but with the new found realisation of Arthurs interests, he wanted to get the information down quickly. Arthur nodded again and collected their plates, "again, when you're done, please come to my office"

Alfred walked upstairs while Arthur was cleaning. He ought to have let Arthur look round sooner, but only now did the brit seem to feel comfortable doing so. Alfred had purchased Arthur a present a while ago, hoping to give it to him when Arthur first started to behave. He had seen this as the perfect day to do so, but given the merits of the gift, knowing Arthurs love of books only made it seem more fitting.  
During Alfred's work time, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. It was usually a feeling that he ignored as he gave little opportunity for electronics to play a large part in his life, however, on a whim, he pulled out the phone and looked at the notification.  
'Any word on the heat?' -Gil  
Alfred sighed but brought himself to respond.  
'nothing yet. It might not happen, but if it does, it'll probably be a while. His body is still getting used to everything.'  
Alfred didn't even have a chance to put his phone back in his pocket before it buzzed again  
'If I cant make it in time, take videos and pictures. for research. I need to see how good your experiment is'  
Alfred rolled his eyes. 'Research'. Of course, Gilbert would want pictures and videos, but that wasn't what Arthur was created for. When Alfred was sewing delicate flesh and watching his vision come to life, he hadn't once thought about anything sexual. Even now, he viewed Arthur as more beautiful than he saw him as sexy. Of course, the brit had his appeals, both before and after Alfred's transformation, but that wasn't why he had created him. Of course, when talking about the possibility of a heat, things change.  
'ill do my best' he typed back  
'Perfect! remember to make them good. I'm half of the reasons you were able to make this product after all'  
Alfred hated the idea of calling Arthur a product. Yes, the idea of changing multiple people and being able to auction them was simple and a decent way to make money, but Alfred had created Arthur to be a god among mortals. Arthur was more than a thing. Yes, he misbehaved and he needed some training, but Alfred had made Arthur knowing that he would love him from day one, and he did.  
He was going to write all of this to Gilbert when he heard the knock on his door and called "come in" to Arthur, who walked in with a little more confidence. Alfred quickly put his phone away and looked up to him.  
"I've finished."  
"thank you, Arthur, you're already faster than before, getting used to everything" Alfred opened one of his draws and looked through it. "You've been impeccably behaved today Arthur, it's really a treat to see you like this, and I hope its behaviour you continue with. I cant promise you a gift every day you behave well, however, I believe you deserve something as a thank you for how you've acted today."  
Arthur was originally ready to run off upstairs to the library, but the idea of a present from Alfred was intriguing. What would Alfred buy for him? What would he think he would like.  
Soon enough, Alfred had found what he was looking for, and he pulled out a flat brown box, tied with a green ribbon. "here" he held it out to Arthur, "I hope you like it"  
Alfred's face admitted that he expected Arthur to open it in front of him, so slowly he pulled at the ribbon as it came undone in his hand. He carefully lifted the box lid and looking inside.  
Pressed neatly against the box's base was a small, but thick, book. The cover was simply black, and tied to the side of it was a large fountain pen. The book's opening was currently sealed shut by a lock, though currently the keys to unlock it were inside.  
"A journal..." he lost himself for a moment while he let his hand run down the cover.  
"all for you" Alfred nodded, "you have my word that I will never look inside. This is for you, and only you, as long as you want it"  
For the first time since his arrival, Arthur let a smile grace his face. "thank you doctor"  
Alfred knew it was a good choice.  
"now, the night is yours, please enjoy yourself, and let me know if you plan on going to the library"  
Arthur nodded his response, still focused on the book in his hands as he left. He quickly ran to his room, closed the door, and opened it.

The very first thing Arthur did was draw a map of the manor. It took two pages to draw since the place was so big, but he marked the front and back entrance as well as all the windows.  
He felt somewhat akin to a school girl as he lay on his stomach, plotting out the map, drawing the direction the shed was in. his tail swished easily above his back.  
Once he was done, he turned the page, this time, he started to draw again.

Alfred had continued to write about Arthur after he had gone. he noted down the reaction he had to the gift, his excitement over the library, everything, but eventually, Alfred grew tired. he locked his work away in the top drawer of his desk, and headed to bed with a yawn. 

Arthur stopped drawing at around 9 that night and stopped himself from doing anything more. He wanted the journal to last him, but now he found himself bored. Arthur remembered that he had stupidly not gone to the library to get himself a book to read, so he got out of bed and walked to Alfred's office.  
He knocked once and was met with silence, so he knocked again, peering in only to find that it was empty. He didn't want to call to him, so he kept looking, stopping at Alfred's room. he knocked softly, and when he got no response he tried to open the door but was met with resistance. Having been inside earlier, Arthur knew that Alfred's room could only lock from the inside, meaning that he was in there, and probably sleeping.  
Arthur sighed. He didn't want to risk Alfred catching him upstairs without telling him, but he was most likely sleeping... right? and if Arthur just crept up, grabbed a book and came back down, it couldn't hurt too much. he would hide it from Alfred and put it back the next time he went up.  
Arthur nodded to himself. It was a perfect idea.

Moving slowly, Arthur crept upstairs, careful to be so quiet that even Lika wouldn't hear him. He didn't know if it was his natural self that was able to move so quietly, or if it was due to help from his new cat sides- he really hoped not- but Arthur kept going and made it to the third floor.  
He silenced a sneeze against his arm when dust caused him to sneeze, and he did this best to stay silent as he walked over to the door. If it had been fully closed, he would have turned around as he knew the door took too much effort to open, and it would be loud, but thankfully he had been lazy when closing it before, and so it took nothing more than a little shove and he was inside. He grabbed the first book he saw but then realised it was steven king. Actually wanting to sleep that night, Arthur put it back. He'd have to find something he actually wanted to read. He started with the first shelves, and when he found nothing, he moved onto the second. Then the third. Then the fourth.  
It was way into the night before he decided upon a book to read- to kill a Mockingbird, his childhood favourite- he was sure by now that if Alfred was awake, he would have caught him.  
Arthur risked standing at the window for a moment, looking outside. He hadn't needed to turn a light on in the library thankfully as there was a full moon, and by itself, it had done an amazing job of lighting the room, particularly the windowsill. Arthur felt himself sit down and rest his back against the wall. The paper of the book between his hands felt amazing, and his eyes danced over the first few pages.  
Then the next few, and then a couple more.  
Eventually, Arthur, curled up with his favourite book, a soft blanket and the light of the moon, fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn these chapters are just getting longer and longer, this one alone was over 5k words! the first ones were barely 1k each.  
> I hope you're all liking this fic so far, i know i do this every time but please comment and all that shiz.


	7. Caracal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Abuse, really fucking bad forced burns

Alfred woke up the next morning in a better mood. He was happy he had discovered something he could talk to Arthur about, he could start getting Arthur to help with a lot of things and he could focus on training him to behave well. Everything seemed like it was going well so he left his room after dressing and went downstairs to make himself a drink. He turned on the coffee maker and waited for it to make his drink. The sun was already quite high and he wondered what time it was, he'd obviously slept it.  
Alfred wasn't particularly hungry, but he knew Arthur would most likely be so he considered making breakfast until he realised he could get Arthur to help, so he left the coffee maker to do its thing and walked upstairs to Arthur's room to wake him up.  
As always, he knocked on the door and walked in when he got no response, expecting to see Arthur curled up fast asleep and snuggled up next to a pillow, but the brits bed was empty, apart from the journal, locked tightly, which sat on Arthur's pillow.

Alfred immediately started to panic. He ran to the front door, but it locked, as was the back. Every window seemed to be unbroken and locked on both the bottom and second floor, which meant Arthur was still inside. He let himself breath a small sigh of relief, but now he had to figure out where Arthur was hiding.  
He started on the second floor, looking in every room, even unlocking ones that he hadn't been in for a lot of time just to see if Arthur had managed to make his way inside, but he found nothing. He felt frustration feed anger which built up inside. Arthur had just managed to start behaving. had he not learnt? was Alfred too nice to him?  
H sighed. he didn't want to lock Arthur outside again, especially not for a full 24 hours. He didn't like having to bring himself to punish him but soon enough, when Arthur learned, there wouldn't be a need for it.  
The first floor was just as empty as the second which fed into Alfred's suspicions that Arthur was most likely in the library on the third floor, which made the whole thing worse. he walked upstairs, Lika had jumped awake with Alfreds earlier rush and followed him. Unsurprisingly the door was open and Alfred could already see Arthurs form in one of the windows. He walked inside quietly, looking at Arthur, who curled up like a cat in the sun.  
Alfred almost wished he had given Arthur permission to sleep here that night. It would make everything much less rage inducing, and he would be able to appreciate Arthurs comfort. But Arthur had broken a rule.  
If last time didn't work, he would have to try this a different way.

Slowly, Alfred reached down a hand to Arthurs head, tussling his hair just a little, causing the brit to let out something akin to a purr before he quickly woke up. "Mm?" Slowly Arthur's eyes opened and he looked up.  
"Good morning," Alfred said rather flatly, pulling his hand away.  
"Good morning Doctor." He quickly realised the position he was in, "I must have nodded off here..."  
"Yes, Arthur, you did. I wasn't aware you had come here" Alfred kept his voice low, avoiding shouting as much as he wanted to.  
"Sorry... I forgot to grab a book before so I thought I might take one quickly..."  
"and you fell asleep... do you really think it was a good idea coming here in the middle of the night?" he hadn't heard Arthur walk up, meaning that he was asleep which just angered him more. He didn't let any anger show in his tone, however.  
"I couldn't sleep..." Arthur was starting to realise very quickly what he'd done.  
"Do you think that's a reasonable excuse, Arthur? Is it so difficult for me to ask you to fall asleep in your own bed?"  
Arthur sat up properly, stumbling over his words knowing he couldn't answer Alfreds questions without annoying him more. "I-I'm sorry... I didn't do it on purpose, I was just reading and I fell asleep.... please don't put me back outside" he didn't feel good about adding the last part, he wanted to tell himself that he was able to go through whatever Alfred threw his way, but the last thing he wanted was to be forced outside once more.  
Alfred sighed, "We can with this later. Come downstairs, I could use your help with breakfast"

Arthur nodded, wary of Alfred now, wondering what 'dealing with this later' meant. He stood up and followed Alfred downstairs, careful to walk a few steps behind him so he didn't get in his way.  
They got to the kitchen, quickly followed by Lika who watched them curiously. Alfred opened one of the cupboards, looking through it for something, "please turn on the grill, if you could" he said, and Arthur relaxed. Alfred didn't seem like he was going to do too much yet...  
The brit turned it on, looking back curiously as Alfred pulled out some waffles. Apparently even with the kind of money he had, he still ate like a normal person sometimes.  
He walked over to the oven, instructing Arthur to get them a pair of plates out and to pour each of them a drink. By now the coffee in the coffee maker had gone cold and Alfred ignored it.  
He pulled a tray from the oven and placed some waffles on it, pushing it back in to let them toast. Arthur grabbed their plates and poured himself a glass of orange juice from the fridge. After what had transpired that morning, he didn't want to ask Alfred if he had any tea, and he filled Alfred's cup with the same after Alfred told him to.  
Eventually, Arthur resigned to watching the oven hungrily while Alfred grabbed them butter and syrup and whatever else they may need and placing it on the side.  
Shortly after, Alfred was sure the waffles were toasted to perfection.  
"Arthur please take those out of the oven" he nodded over to it as he sipped his drink, and Arthur reached for the oven gloves. "Without those," Alfred said flatly and Arthur looked back at him.  
"I-I'm sorry?" Arthur raised an eyebrow.  
"You seem to have a problem listening to me lately Arthur. I told you to take the tray out of the oven."  
"With my... bare hands?" Arthur looked at his hands, and then to the oven.  
"Yes, I'd hurry up if I was you, breakfast is burning."

There was no way he could do that, his hands would burn in a second... He turned the grill off and opened the door, instantly being hit with a wave of heat. He looked back to Alfred who nodded for him to continue. He held his breath as he reached in, his finger brushing the burning tray. He instantly pulled it back and stood up. "I can't" he looked back to Alfred. "It's too hot, I cant, it'll burn me...." He looked down at his finger which had turned a dark pink from just a second of a touch  
"You're not going to do what I told you to?" Alfred raised an eyebrow, and Arthur looked down as he nodded.  
"I can't..." he refused to look up to meet Alfred's gaze and the man walked around, grabbed the oven gloves and pulled out the tray himself, letting it clatter a little against the countertop as he placed it.  
"Show me your hand" he held out his own after noticing Arthur looking down and cradling the small burn. Slowly and shakily Arthur offered Alfred his hand. Alfred held Arthurs hand up and he looked at the pink burn. It was small, and would most likely disappear in a day at the max. His finger ran over it and he heard Arthur muffle a sound of pain. "you didn't do what I told you"  
"I-I couldn't..." He hoped he hadn't dug the hole any worse, but the idea of his hands burning as he grabbed the tray was far worse than the idea of being forced outside again.  
"I told you to do something. This is twice today you've ignored my instruction"  
Arthurs' eyes opened wide as Alfred forced his hand against the tray, which was still boiling with heat.

Arthur screamed, his body thrashing as he tried to pull his hand away, "Stop! Please stop! Please!!" he cried, unable to stop tears. He could feel the heat as though it was melting at his skin, eating through it. "I'm sorry!" tears poured down his face violently and he still tried to pull away, the pain didn't ease with time, and Alfred didn't seem willing to let Arthurs' hand go. He continued to scream, trying to get away, his voice guttural and echoing through the entire house until Alfred finally let him go and he pulled his hand close.  
It was covered in blood and he instantly ran to the sink, turning on the cold water and forcing his hand under it. The pressure of the water only added to the pain, but the cold temperature at least eased the burn a little, washing the blood down the sink revealing what red skin hadn't burnt away.  
He tried to take more control over the tears that were leaving him, dulling his cries into small sobs and wiping away tears with his other hand. He heard Arthur moving around him but didn't pay too much attention, just watching his hand as water ran over it. After what must have been 20 or so minute Alfred finally spoke. "Go to your room"  
Arthur nodded and pulled his hand away from the water, losing the cool relief. His entire body shook, mostly his hands. His unburnt hand held his other arm by the forearm, trying to stop his hand from shaking as he walked to the stairs.  
Arthur fell against his bedroom floor, his back against the wall, just staring at his hands and shaking.

Alfred sighed and closed his eyes where he stood. He hated hurting Arthur. Hated it. But he needed to listen...  
Slowly, he cleaned up, wiping Arthurs blood off the tray and throwing out their breakfast since it was mostly burnt. Lika stared at him from across the room as he did and he noticed her look.  
"Oh don't judge me, he needs to learn" there was a strange amount of venom in his voice given that he was talking to a dog, but he got back to cleaning and sighed when he was finished. Arthur must have been upstairs for about half an hour now, and he imagined he was still crying over his hand. Alfred frowned at the thought of Arthur crying.  
He sighed, picked himself up and walked upstairs to Arthur's bedroom. He didn't expect a response when he knocked on the door and so he walked straight in, looked down at Arthur, who refused to look back up. "come with me" he sighed, and for a second assumed Arthur wasn't going to move anywhere until he slowly and shakily stood up and took a few steps towards Alfred.  
They walked to one of the smaller bathrooms and Alfred instructed Arthur to stand by the sink, which he did. Alfred turned the water on, and held Arthurs burnt arm, slowly letting cool water remove anything that Arthur was unable to help with before. Arthur stayed silent, apart from small shakes and whimpers. He didn't even look at his hand as Alfred cleaned it and eventually pulled it away from the water and turned off the tap. He lead Arthur to sit on the edge of the bathtub and held out his arm, the tender flesh standing out against Arthurs typically pale complexion. Alfred opened one cabinet above the bathroom sink and pulled out a small tub and some bandages before he perched himself next to Arthur again. Inside the tub was some kind of burn salve, and he, gently as possible, spread it across Arthurs hand.  
The man bit his lip, but couldn't hide the shine in his eyes as tears returned to them.  
"You're going to be fine" was Alfred's way of shushing Arthur quietly when he let out a hiss and a whimper at the pain, and eventually he let Arthurs hand go before starting to wrap it.

Arthur was confused. One second Alfred would hurt him and the next he would help him out again. Why? As happy as he was that the burn was being addressed, he didn't know why Alfred hadn't just left him in his room to deal with the problem himself. Now he was sat here, wrapping it up and telling him he was going to be okay? It didn't make any sense.

Alfred had wrapped up his hand tightly so it remained stiff with the bandages support. At least Arthur knew Alfred was a doctor, so he knew what he was doing. "All wrapped up" Alfred brushed his thumb over the neat bandaging.  
"Th-thank you, doctor..." he tried to make his voice sound strong, but it didn't work.  
"now, go back to your room"  
Arthur nodded and stood up, walking away quickly.  
Alfred stayed where he sat for another minute, sighing into his hands. 

Arthur got back to his room but rather than sitting on the floor again, he crawled into bed, covered himself with the sheets completely and let himself cry. Not with the same passion and anger he had before, not even just with pain, but with the feeling and the knowledge that he was completely and utterly helpless where he was. 

Alfred left him alone for a while, he didn't know what he would say if he could say anything anyway. It was about three in the afternoon and he only heard silence from Arthurs room which meant he was probably asleep. Alfred planned on working for the rest of the day, so before he did, he made Arthur a small tray of food, just small snacks in case he felt like eating at any point, and a drink. He looked at the tray and frowned, leaving it in the kitchen as he walked up to the second floor, and then the third and into the library.  
Alfred did like this library. It had more than enough books, it was open and decorated and just a little dusty which made it feel old and classic. He walked over to the window Arthur had been sleeping on. The blanket there was messed up and half draping onto the floor, and the book Arthur was reading had settled on the floor. Alfred leaned down to pick it up. To Kill a Mockingbird. Arthur had decent taste. Alfred took it back with him downstairs, leaving the library alone for now and walking to the kitchen. He placed the book on the tray and walked up to Arthurs room. He unlocked the door and peered in. Arthur was completely under his covered and Alfred was silent as he left the tray on the side and left, ready to get some work done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: I am in the top 2% of English writing students in the entirety of the UK and i still choose to write this trash XD I know the fic needed a break in terms of pace, and i didn't let it have one, so im sorry for that, but im going to try and calm it down and fluff it out just a little, but there is stuff that is yet to come that is just as shitty. Pretty much just read the tags, and anything thats up there that hasn't happened yet is going to come, and im sorry for that.


	8. Egyptian Mau

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: non really, just maybe a bit of fluff? which is weird if you look into it given this fic so far, but yeh. Slow chapter but also short chapter.

Arthur woke up early the next morning, early enough that the sky hadn't quite gained its colour, and even the birds were silent outside. He slowly crawled out from his place under his blanket and was reminded of what had happened when he felt his hand swell with a numb pain. He looked down at it in the light of the early morning. A very small amount of blood had soaked through and he frowned at the idea of having to ask Alfred to change it.  
He scanned the room, looking for the usual plate of food Alfred left and spied it quickly, so he hopped out of bed and walked over, looking the tray over. He smiled, something he only allowed himself to do because Alfred wasn't there when he saw the book. His smile didn't last long when the thought came to mind that Alfred was only doing this to keep Arthur tamed, to try and train him. Arthur looked back at his hand. Whether he liked it or not, if he wanted to stay unharmed, for now, he was going to have to be good. Tears welled in his eyes when he thought about it... he was a good boy...  
He picked up the book and tucked it under his arm, blinking those tears from his eyes, as he looked at the food, but he took nothing but the drink. Arthur headed over to the window, perching himself on it and bringing his legs up and he spent the morning reading.  
However, he couldn't balance the book on his hand without pain surging through it, nor could he turn the page without having to bend his fingers and cause even more pain. The last thing he wanted to do was have to go and find Alfred and admit that he was in pain and needed his help, so he resigned himself to shakily reading, tears springing into his eyes with every page he turned, until finally, they started to fall down his cheeks, and all of a sudden, his tears weren't about the pain anymore. Now, they were about the control Alfred had over him, they were about how he knew he was going to behave just as Alfred wanted him to because this pain scared him. They were about the fact that he knew Alfred could help him, as much as he knew he could hurt him.

Alfred assumed he was letting Arthur sleep in that morning when he woke up that morning and left him alone. He didn't wind up knocking on Arthur's door until about 10am, and he'd decided to spend his time until then working, leaving him alone, not realising that walking in was something Arthur wanted for once, because if Alfred walked in and offered him help, it meant that Arthur didn't have to ask for it.  
Arthur had wiped away the last of his tears when Alfred walked inside, though it was still obvious that he had been crying. Alfred looked down at him sympathetically, "still hurt?"  
Arthur nodded and held up his hand showing the blood that had leaked through the bandaged and Alfred gestured for him to stand. "Come downstairs, I'll change the wrap for you"  
Arthur nodded and stood up, he clutched onto the book as he followed Alfred through the house and downstairs. It had been quite a cold day so far, although Arthur hadn't noticed while wrapped up in his blanket, he now shivered a little as they walked. They reached the living room where Arthur had eaten after being allowed back inside again, and he enjoyed the temperature rise when he walked inside and noticed the burning fire.  
They walked over to the couch and Arthur sat on one side as Alfred took a seat from the other. Apparently, the American had known that Arthur would need his bandages changing because there was already some fresh ones waiting on the coffee table.  
Alfred outstretched a hand and Arthur placed his burn one in it carefully, not wanting to irritate it any more. As delicately as Alfred could, he slowly unwrapped them, hearing Arthur hiss as they pulled at the burn slightly where the blood had healed and connected them to his hand. Alfred didn't have to look at him to know that tears were welling once again in his eyes. Eventually, the bandage was off and Alfred placed it on the table. He opened another small tub of cream and gently tried to spread it across Arthurs' hand but the Brit had begun to shake and bite back whimpers, so instead he pulled away and looked to him. "here, you do it" he held out the tub to Arthur who nodded and took it. He didn't know why Alfred had given him the opportunity to do it himself, he didn't believe it when Alfred said he didn't like hurting him, but he was glad it was in his own control. It wound up hurting a little more when he did it himself as his hands were shaking and he would occasionally put just enough pressure on his hand to cause a surge of pain, but he was glad it was in his own control.  
Eventually, Alfred grabbed the bandages and started to wrap it up again. It was just as tight as before, which was both a blessing and a curse. It meant that there was a small constant pressure on the wound which caused Arthur to uncomfortably feel his pulse in his hand, and a small amount of pain, but it also stopped him from moving his hand in a way that would hurt, so he didn't complain. Alfred finished the job quickly and looked over his handy work. He smiled seeing Arthur wrapped up again and for a second, despite not understanding why he was tempted to press a small kiss to where the bandage met Arthurs' knuckles. He stopped himself when Arthur's hand was maybe an inch from his lips and he let him go. "All sorted"  
"Thank you... Doctor" Arthur didn't know what was going through Alfred's mind, but after that, he assumed he didn't want to. He stood up to head back to his room but Alfred stopped him.  
"Your room is quite cold, you're free to sit down here and read if you want. You're free to go to the library to get a different book or to read too."  
Arthur didn't know if Alfred was trying to make up for what had happened, or if he was just hoping that Arthur felt comfortable enough to not simply sit in his room all day but he nodded. He was tempted to go to the library and sit in the window, but his mind prefered the warmth of the room he was in, so he moved over to the fire and sat down. "Thank you Doctor" he nodded to him and Alfred was slightly disappointed he didn't get a smile from him, but this was good enough. Arthur opened his book and Alfred disappeared for a second, returning with a small snack and drinks for them both, which told Arthur that Alfred would be in the same room. Arthur wondered what Alfred would do there. Work? Most likely, but part of him expected Alfred to sit down and simply stare at him while he read. His own thought made him more uncomfortable in that moment than Alfred did when he sat on the couch and opened the copy of The cask of amontillado and sat back with his coffee and read.

It was strange, sitting and reading with Alfred doing the same so close by, but it wasn't unwelcome, especially when they were both dragged into their books and barely noticed each other. Lunch had long passed when Arthur finally put his book down for a second. He barely noticed his hunger he was so lost in the words and he took a second to grab one of the snacks Alfred had brought out for them. He smiled when he noticed Alfred's sweet tooth because the food he had set out was cookies and a few small cakes. Arthur ate one of the cakes in just a few bites and took a cookie to eat while he read. He moved back to his spot by the fire and quickly looked up to Alfred, who was clearly invested in the book because he hadn't even notice Arthur move. Arthur hid a smile behind his book and quickly got back to reading, only this time every page or so he would find himself taking small bites of the cookie in his hand.

Eventually, Arthur found himself slightly overheated by the fire being so close. The heat was at the point where he was uncomfortable so he stood up and decided to risk sitting on the opposite side of the couch to Alfred. He looked over slightly to see if Alfred had reacted in any capacity, but he was still reading, so Arthur let himself relax and sit back and continue to read.  
More than anything, the heat was lulling and relaxing, and Arthur knew that if this was his home- which it most certainly was not, it was his prison- he would lay across the couch and just relax, possibly nap and wake up more refreshed than he had ever felt, but he certainly wasn't about to do that, so he continued to read. Arthur didn't feel tired in any capacity, but eventually, his eyes became heavy, and he put up little to no fight against them, and let himself fall asleep.  
Shortly after Arthur fell asleep, the tinder in the fire had apparently run out because the flames had begun to die down and eventually, they went out. Alfred noticed the lack of light from the fireplace and looked up noticing only now that Arthur had moved, he didn't, however, see that Arthur was asleep. Neither of them made a remark about the fire and Alfred was warm so he continued to read without putting it back on. In truth, the book Alfred was reading was short, but he hadn't wanted to get up and leave when he could spend time so close to Arthur without him being so uncomfortable, so instead he had read it again, and again, and again. He turned a page he had almost memorised again, simply happy to be able to have this moment.

Arthurs body felt cold as the heat left the room since the fireplace wasn't burning anymore. If he was in his bed, he would have just pulled his covers on, but with that option unavailable, he sleepily sought out the closest heat source, which was in the form of the man sat on the other side of the couch.  
Alfred was slightly shocked when he felt pressure against his arm and looked down to see a mostly asleep Arthur resting against him. He didn't dare move. The only feeling he could equate it to is something similar to how you feel when a pet falls asleep on you and all of a sudden you feel as though you would rather live your life in that one position for the rest of your life than wake them up. He slowly put his book down, careful not to move too fast and wake him, and just relaxed knowing Arthur was sleeping against him. He moved a little so Arthurs' head was more on his chest than his shoulder and he smiled. This is what he wanted.  
They rested like that together for a while until Alfred dared to stroke at Arthur's hair softly. He was more than satisfied with the incredibly soft purr he heard emitted from Arthur's throat and he continued to let him sleep for some time.

It had been a while since Arthur had fallen asleep and Alfred knew that he couldn't let Arthur wake up like this. He knew that if Arthur woke up like this, he would never let himself sleep around Alfred again, so slowly, he leaned Arthur closer to his own side of the couch so it seemed as though nothing had happened and Alfred got up, continuing to let Arthur sleep as he cleaned up their cups and the uneaten food.  
Arthur woke up not long later, groggily he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and yawned looking around. He could hear running water in the kitchen and decided that it was better to let Alfred know he was awake. He paused in hesitation once he had stood. The last time he fell asleep somewhere he wasn't supposed to he was punished. Arthur looked down at his hand quickly, neatly wrapped and white. He could only hold his breath as he walked to the kitchen.  
Alfred was washing their cups from before and had just turned off the running water when Arthur walked in.  
"Did you sleep well?" He asked before Arthur could even alert him of his presence in the kitchen.  
Arthur took a breath, "Yes, thank you..."  
He seemed to be waiting for something and Alfred quickly realised what it was.  
"I don't mind that you fell asleep Arthur, you clearly needed it"  
Arthur nodded slowly wondering if it was some kind of ploy...  
"I only care where you sleep if I don't know where you are. It scares me when I look for you and you've disappeared" he placed the first cup next to the sink on a drying rack while he cleaned the second.  
"I understand" Arthur nodded from where he was. "Thank you for letting me sleep. Do you mind if I go to my room?"  
"Of course not" Alfred took a second to look back at Arthur. His hair was tousled and Alfred would never let him know that part of the reason was that he liked the purr Arthur made when Alfred stoked his hair, "You're free to go to the library if you want too"  
Arthur shook his head. He still had a fair amount of To Kill a Mockingbird to read, and he didn't want to risk falling asleep up there again.  
"Alright, do as you wish," Alfred said, no focused on drying their used dishes. "You're probably hungry, so I'll bring up some dinner later"  
"Thank you" Arthur left and headed upstairs. He was glad Alfred hadn't asked him to help with cooking. He disliked the kitchen now, for obvious reasons. He had gone to his room with the expectation of writing in his journal, which he did to a degree. More than anything he drew a little, nothing perfectly artistic, just something to cure his boredom, and soon enough, he fell asleep again.

Alfred had walked into Arthurs room with his tray of food. It had been common practice for Arthur to be asleep when Alfred came so he didn't mind. He looked down to the sleeping man with a smile before he saw Arthurs open journal next to him. Guilt immediately ran over him. He noticed a drawing of himself, it was clearly labelled 'Alfred', and he felt like he had broken his promise to Arthur. He sighed, it wasn't a situation he could have avoided, so he walked over to the journal and closed it for Arthur so he wouldn't see anything more. He would have locked it, but the keys weren't in plain sight so he assumed Arthur had them hidden somewhere, and he didn't want to break his trust even more by searching. He stroked a hand through Arthurs' hair just once before he left.  
The touch had been just enough to wake Arthur slightly, but Alfred was gone before proper consciousness had returned to Arthur, so he didn't realise what the cause of his waking had been. He did, however, notice the food on the dresser, so he stood and walked over. It was rare that he woke in time to eat the food warm, so he was happy and dug in, returning to sleep with a full stomach and a happy smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like i said in the last chapter, this has been moving way to fast to be particularly comfortable as a pace, especially for this kind of fic, so i really slowed it down in this chapter and gave just a little bit of fluff before things start getting crazy again, so i hope this chapter is a nice break from everything, because things will definitly be picking up in the next chapter. Also the next chapter is going to be a long one, most likely the longest one posted so far, possibly the longest one in this fic altogether, so if you could give me a bit of time to write it, that would be appreciated (given my schedule is 2 chapters a day now, it'll probably be a day or 2 at the very latest it gets posted, so its not that long of a wait)  
> Sorry for this note being so long! Hope you enjoyed.


	9. Ragdoll

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: non really, cleaning. i know that scares me. Maybe slavery?   
> Important updates in end notes

When Arthur woke up the next day, once again he was hit with the realisation that his comfort made him uncomfortable. He was happily snuggled up under his covers with his favourite book and the journal Alfred had given him, he felt pampered, despite the gnawing pain in his arm, and more than anything, he felt relaxed. It's strange how stressed you become when you realise you feel relaxed. Arthur knew he had no place feeling so happy while he was still trapped in that monsters house. Alfred had still kidnapped him, he had still forced him into a hospital bed and attached these... things to him, he had still hurt him and locked him out in the cold and then refused to let him leave the manor. Alfred had turned him into a monster. He couldn't let himself forget that.  
Unlike every other day, for once Arthur stepped out of his room before Alfred had asked him to. It was a strange feeling being up so early in the morning without Alfred asking for his help with something or directing him to another room, and Arthur knew it was a feeling he would have to get used to help him find his own independence. Besides, he had finished his book, didn't want to waste his journal pages and he was bored, this seemed like a way to help. Arthur wasn't sure if Alfred was awake yet, he couldn't hear anything so he assumed not and he wandered. He stayed away from the third floor, he wasn't even going to risk going to the library, so for once he decided to hunt around the first floor. Not expecting to find much, Arthur didn't put a lot of hope into what he might discover, but he was honestly quite shocked. There was a large games room not too far from the entrance. Very little inside was electronic, there was a dartboard with both Alfreds and Gilberts name on it with several scores underneath. In the very centre of the room was a large pool table with the balls scattered as though the game had been left in a hurry. Looking rather out of place in the corner was a chess table, set up for a new game. Arthur picked up a couple of the pieces, the king and the queen. They were intricately carved for such small pieces and he let himself admire the craftsmanship before he placed them back gently and continued on his way, searching for more interesting finds.  
Given the size of Alfred's manor, it made sense for him to have a pool, but Arthur never assumed he had one until he saw it. When you walked into the room, it stood out like a sore thumb from everything else, as it was the only thing not decorated with an old Victorian aesthetic. Arthur was swiftly reminded that he was actually living in a modern era, and wasn't trapped a hundred years in the past. The walls were tile, which Alfred hated but he didn't like the idea of damp either, as was the floor, and the pool was large and square, with a separate little circle off at the far end of the room which was most likely some kind of hot tub. The walls were mostly window, leading out into the back of the house. The only chance Arthur had ever had to see this from the outside was when Alfred was dragging him out, and then it was pitch black and he couldn't see a thing. He leaned down and let his fingers disturb the water for just a moment. The ripples of the water continued to the pool's wall and the water settled once more before he stood back up and continued on.  
The door he walked through brought him out just next to the kitchen, and he heard the sound of the coffee maker on and guessed he had been wrong to assume Alfred was still sleeping. Arthur peeked into the room to see Alfred humming to himself as he made some breakfast. He considered slipping away and back to his room but he caught Alfred's eye before he had the opportunity to. "Good morning Arthur" Alfred smiled and beckoned him in, so Arthur walked in a few steps. He didn't like being in the kitchen.  
"Morning, Doctor" Arthur nodded in the man's direction, thankfully Alfred didn't seem angry that Arthur was up and out of his room even without his instruction. He hoped Alfred wasn't about to ask for help making breakfast.  
"hows the hand?" he looked to him, seemingly letting himself relax against the counter for a moment.  
Arthur looked down at his bandaged hand. It still hurt, but the bandages had certainly helped. "It's fine" He looked up, debated giving Alfred a reassuring smile, and quickly decided against it. "The bandages help"  
Alfred nodded, "I'm glad, promise to tell me if it hurts, you really need to be careful with it" If Arthur thought he had the freedom too, he would roll his eyes. Alfred would hurt him badly and then lecture him on not doing it to himself as though it made much of a difference. His eyes scanned his hand for a little longer and when he looked up Alfred had refocused his attention on breakfast.  
"I think it's about time we get you some new clothes," Alfred said, clearly more focused on breakfast that speaking, "I'm hoping we can go out tomorrow"  
Arthur didn't want to appear too excites so he just nodded, unable to hide a small happy jump in his leg. He had to slyly grab his tail to hide its joyful swinging from Alfred.  
"Of course, I'll need you to do some things for me first, but if everything gets done we should be able to head out"  
Arthur nodded again. Thankfully, aside from reading, eating and being hurt, there wasn't a whole lot to do so Arthur knew he could get whatever Alfred wanted to be done quickly. The more he thought about it, the more he hoped it was just cleaning or even cooking, and not anything a little more intimate with Alfred. Though he knew he was wrong to think that, Alfred had never made a move or forced him into anything in that regard.   
Arthurs mind started to wonder a little into the idea of going outside. He wondered what Alfreds plan to hide his ears and his tail was, hopefully, nothing too uncomfortable, Arthur had accidentally sat on his tail multiple times and none of them had been nice. How would Alfred make sure he didn't run off? or tell anyone? Would Francis and Gilbert be there again to stop him if anything happened? and how would he make sure the clothes fit? surely Alfred wasn't going to let him wander to the changing rooms by himself?  
As bad as it made Arthur feel, he was less intent on the idea of using it as an opportunity to run away. If he played his cards right, he could be good and make Alfred happy as well as getting some new clothes. The idea of running away seems too easy in that moment, and Arthur knew it was better for him to wait and plan things out properly. The brit had found himself so lost in his thoughts that he didn't realise that Alfred was still talking, and when the American looked at him expectantly, he didn't want to admit his mistake and risk getting himself punished so he just nodded.  
"excellent" whatever Alfred had been saying, at least he'd answered correctly, "I'm glad you're planning on working so hard, I'm sure if you work hard you'll be able to get everything done quickly" Alfred had grabbed a pen and a small list book and started writing, still keeping an eye on the food. Arthur, on the other hand, was trying to figure out what he had just agreed to.  
"You're free to go and relax if you want" Alfred smiled as he returned to focusing on their food, "I'll bring you your breakfast and the list of everything I need you to do when it's done"  
Arthur nodded again and looked around wondering if he should stay by the kitchen, or go to the living room. Alfred let him leave the kitchen and he looked around the first floor, be sure to stay within earshot of the American. He was tempted to stop in the living room, but the usually roaring fire was out and without its orangy glow, the room seemed greyer than Arthur remembered, so he instead decided to go and stay in his room, still too scared of the library to return. He stayed there until Alfred brought his food, writing about everything in his journal. His writing had started with him plotting escapes, marking down all of the windows and entrances of the house, and angry writing about Alfred, though since the pair had sat together reading, it had turned into Arthur writing more and more about daily interactions with Alfred.

As usual, Alfred brought up Arthurs tray of food. It took a short time and Arthur realised just how early he had woken compared to the other days he had been living with Alfred. No, not living, since he had been trapped with Alfred.  
He stayed quiet when Alfred knocked on the door and walked in, placing the food on the side with the note. Alfred smiled at him softly before he left and Arthur was thankful for the lack of forced interaction when he walked over. He ignored the note for a while an ate, eggs and bacon warming his body. He tried to eat slowly to put off looking at the work Alfred expected him to do, but once his plate had been almost completely licked clean, he sighed and picked up the paper.  
Thankfully, it was just cleaning, and he let himself relax a little, though apparently, Alfred expected Arthur to clean the whole first floor by himself. He expected the floors to be pretty much scrubbed clean, as well as the windows- on the inside at least, he assumed Alfred would do the outside rather than letting Arthur be alone for so long, the fireplace needed to be totally scrubbed, as did the kitchen, the curtains needed to be taken down, washed and then put back up, rooms Arthur hadn't even ventured into yet needed to be spotless and every piece of art needed to be without a single speck of dust. Arthur shuddered at the idea of having to clean the bathrooms on the first floor. He didn't know they existed until seeing them on Alfred's list- which was double sided- and he was sure they were mostly unused, but the idea of getting onto his hands and knees and scrubbing a toilet or the tiles on a wall seemed like too much hard work for him to be comfortable with. Did Alfred really expect him to do all of this by tomorrow? Apparently, because at the very end of the list, squeezed in in Alfreds small, swirly handwriting was 'Remember, this all needs to be done by tomorrow at noon or we can't go out.' and Arthur realised he was going to have to get to work quickly.

He grabbed the list and the fountain pen he typically used for his journal and headed downstairs. Alfred's note had told him where the cleaning things were, and so he walked down to the cupboard where it was all held, opened it, and tried to figure out what to do first. He decided he would do the kitchen last. Arthur usually saw himself as someone who liked to get the worst things over with, but even now he worried the oven was still hot from Alfred making them breakfast so he decided he would wait until he knew it wasn't. He started by grabbing a bottle of window cleaner and a rag. He frowned at them in his hands. Now he wasn't only Alfreds house cat, but also his maid. He sighed but started to work.

Arthur didn't see much of Alfred that day, only occasionally the American would walk into a room to see Arthur scrubbing at the floor or doing his best not to fall as he took down the curtains, and aside from offering a little help or a snack, there wasn't much Alfred said and Arthur was left to his work. It was getting later and later and Arthur didn't feel much closer to finishing anything on Alfred's list, but he knew soon Alfred would hurry him to his room for the night. The brits stomach rumbled from where he was crouched by the fireplace doing his best to clear away the soot.  
"Hungry?"  
Arthur jumped as he quickly turned around. He luckily barely missed hitting his head off the stone fireplace and he wondered briefly if a hit that hard would knock him out and he could get out of doing so much. He quickly brought himself back to reality when he realised he was ignoring Alfred. "A little." He didn't want Alfred to know that he depended on him in any way, but avoiding food wouldn't result in anything useful.  
"I'll grab us something to eat in a moment, hows the work going so far?"  
Arthur paused. The last thing he wanted to do was lie and say it was fine, especially when at this rate, Arthur wasn't going to be close to finishing by tomorrow, but he didn't want to give Alfred the satisfaction of seeing him struggle. "It's alright, just a lot"  
"Well you did say you thought you could handle it"  
Arthur didn't remember saying that even slightly, but now he realised what he had agreed to before. Alfred had walked to the kitchen before Arthur could think of something to say, so he looked back to the fireplace and continued working for some time while Alfred made them some food.

Alfred was happy so far with Arthurs work. The brit had seemed to get a little further into his mind and was more distracted lately, but Alfred had a very small suspicion as to why. He didn't put much thought into it as he started to cook.  
He wasn't surprised to hear his phone ring as he began to chop some veg, calls from Gilbert around this time weren't uncommon, and they tended to chat over Alfred's research. Now, however, they had a lot more to talk about. He put down the knife for a moment to answer the phone before picking it back up again.  
"Hello Gilbert" Alfred smiled came across in his voice. "how can I help?"  
"Hello Alfred" Gilbert did his best to mock Alfred's accent and a small snicker echoed over the phone, "You haven't messaged me about Arthur lately, I have been wondering about his heat"  
"Patience Gilbert, patience, it's not been long yet, there's still time if it ever happens"  
"Well it should, I specifically made sure everything you were sent was from female animals to make this happen."  
Alfred frowned a little. "You should have told me this sooner, I need to keep an eye on him and make sure everything's happening as it should. We've never gotten this far before, everything's a surprise and I'd like as much warning as possible"  
"Yeh, yeh, well you know now, I just need you to update me as much as possible"  
"Don't worry, I'll keep my promise. Arthurs has been a bit a bit... thoughtful lately, but other than that, nothing out of the ordinary"  
Gilbert made a sound of understanding, "Just let me know if anything else happens"  
"I will, don't worry, remember, every file I write about him you can see if you just go on your laptop"  
"I know, I know, I just like to hear it from you," the man said with another laugh and Alfreds eye roll was obvious with his silence.  
"I need to go Gilbert, I promise to keep you updated, goodbye"  
"Please do, Auf Wiedersehen" Gilbert hung up before Alfred could, which was lucky because Alfred had just finished making his and Arthurs dinner.

Alfred walked back to the living room where Arthur was cleaning with both of their plates in hand. "Rest for a moment," He said, once again making Arthur jump a little, "Come. Eat." Arthur stood up from his spot at the fireplace, leaving his cleaning equipment where it lay, and he walked over to the couch where Alfred sat with their dinner.  
"Thank you, Doctor" He took the plate and started to eat when Alfred did, his hunger forcing him to take large forkfuls of the food as he ate. However, he couldn't get the amount of work he needed to do out of his mind. He was scared that if the house wasn't cleaned perfectly and on time, he would never be allowed out.  
Mostly silence settled between them as they ate. Strangely enough, it wasn't an uncomfortable one. Arthur stayed quiet, trying to figure out how he could get everything done so quickly. Towards the end of the meal, Arthur found the courage to ask, "Doctor, would I be allowed to stay up tonight? To clean I mean"  
Alfred took another few seconds to finish the last bite of his dinner before he smiled, "Of course, though be careful not to tire yourself out or you'll be exhausted for tomorrow" he stood up and took both of their dishes, smiling to Arthur who followed him into the kitchen.  
"Thank you, Doctor, I'll work quietly so I don't wake you" He expected Alfred would want him to wash the dishes, but the man seemed to focus on the job himself.  
"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine, and don't worry too much about falling asleep down here" He correctly guessed one of Arthurs worries, "I'll make sure there's a blanket on the couch in case you get too tired, and please don't overdo it with your hand. The pain won't be worth going out"  
Arthur disagrees wholeheartedly but doubted he would be able to say that without insulting Alfred so he stayed quiet about it. "Thank you, I'll do my best to make sure everything is tidy by tomorrow" he nodded and Alfred left the dishes in hot soapy water as he ran off to grab Arthur a pillow and a blanket. While Alfred was gone, Arthur stood in the kitchen. Usually, he would be thinking about a way out, or about how much he hated Alfred, it made sense for him to be thinking about going outside shopping the next day but for the brief moments Alfred was gone, his mind was totally blank. Alfred running back into the room was enough of a sign for Arthur to refocus his vision and stand up straight, taking the blanket and pillow off the American. He thanked Alfred again, wished him a goodnight, left the bedding on the couch and got back to work, excusing his blankness to himself and assuming he was just stressed and his mind needed to rest.

Arthur worked tirelessly through the night. He scrubbed every floor clean, and despite the cold which leaked into the house from the nights darkness, he still walked around barefoot after cleaning his feet so he didn't trail any dirt around with him, he cleaned all of the windows on the inside, and pulled down every curtain, careful to wash them thoroughly before doing a balancing act he was sure he could never repeat whenever he put them back up. With every job he did, he crossed off Alfred's handwriting from the list. By the time he even thought to sit down for a rest, it was already midnight. He sat on the couch for a second with a sigh. Part of him felt the soft blanket against his skin and he wanted to close his eyes but he knew he just needed to get a little more work done.  
Not wanting to fall asleep prematurely, Arthur looked around for the remote for the large tv which was hung on the wall above the fireplace. Arthur was thankful for his decision because it meant he got to see the amount of dust on the screen and quickly wipe it down. Apparently, Alfred didn't watch tv much. He wasn't surprised to find the remote in a draw with a lot of other junk, he blew on it to get rid of the dust it had accumulated and turned the tv on, quickly muting it before the screen turned on so he didn't wake Alfred up. The screen turned on and Arthur briefly shielded his eyes. He didn't realise how dark it had gotten until the light overpowered his eyes. Lazily, he flicked through the channels, late night news didn't interest him and there was nothing good to watch, so he skipped to the radio channels and stopped at one he found soothing. A man in a calm voice introduced classical music and Arthur listened as he got some cleaning done. By the time he stopped, he just had the kitchen and the bathrooms left to do, and so he let himself relax.  
Not much more was done before he fell asleep, his ears pricked up as he listened to the sound of the radio, curled on the couch with his blanket covering him, his tail wrapped around himself and his pillow in his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! sorry i was away for so long, but I'm updating exactly as promised. This chapter was originally going to be really long but then whats the point of chapters? so i've split it into two.   
> Important Update: (Apart from the next chapter which will be updated soon) This fic should, from now on, be updated every week (most likely every monday), if not twice a week, feel free to spam me if i fail to keep dates and i'll make it up! I know i usually update it a couple times a day (apart from the last few days because ive been away) so sorry for the change but theres some other stuff i want to work on at the same time and rushing this isnt going to help with the quality of it.  
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It's another slow one, but things are happening next chapter which should pick it all up! This was supposed to be the chapter where everything picked up but then i cut this in half so yeh. Sorry!  
> Also, for those asking, there should be smut soon (if not the next chapter, then the one after) thank you for sticking with this so far.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A wild update appeared
> 
> Warnings: IDK, if you read and think of any let me know but I'm pretty sure this is a tame chapter

When Arthur woke the house was silent, save for the radio which still played over the TV quietly. He briefly wondered how he had managed to wake so early as he checked the TV for the time, '05:19' stared back at him, but he was slightly happy with how early it was given the large amount he still had to do. He gave himself a few minutes to wake up and even poured himself a glass of orange juice in the kitchen before he quickly got back to work.  
He started by cleaning up after himself int he living room and moving the blankets and pillows Alfred had given him. For some reason he found himself blanking a few times and would just stop for a moment to look at whatever his eyes could see before he got back to work. Arthur switched off the TV and double checked the room before he moved on.  
He quickly moved onto the bathrooms he'd done his best to ignore. Clearly they weren't used a lot since it was mostly just built up dust and so he managed to clean them in just under two hours or so. By this point, he heard footsteps upstairs and figured Alfred had woken up. He was just walking out from the last bathroom when he saw Alfred yawning as he walked downstairs.  
"Morning" the man gestured something of a wave as he turned to the kitchen and Arthur just nodded his greeting as he followed. The kitchen was the last thing Arthur needed to do, and despite how much he wanted to curl back up and sleep, he wanted to go out and see the world more, and so it was worth the exhaustion to clean up.  
As Alfred walked into the kitchen he immediately turned on the coffee maker and rested back against the counter, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, though he did give a small frown as he looked around the small room. "Have you finished cleaning?" he questioned, almost surprised as he woke up a little more.  
"Almost," Arthur said, quickly realising the Alfred noticed the kitchen hadn't been cleaned at all, "this is the last room I have to do"  
Alfred seemed to be a little less surprised at the state of the room. The kitchen wasn't necessarily dirty, though the trays in the oven needed cleaning, as did the stove top, and the whole place could use a little organisation. "Great" his smile sat sleepily on his lips, "Make sure you have a shower before we head out"  
"Yes, doctor" Arthur nodded, partially wanting Alfred to leave so he could start cleaning. He eyes the stove carefully. He didn't want Alfred to start to cook their breakfast, even though it had been off all night, he still worried it might be hot inside, and he felt a little twinge of pain in his arm just thinking about it. His eyes were brought down to his hand. It hurt occasionally, though it had been bad through his cleaning. He assumed the pain was down to the stress his hands were under having to scrub and carry and dust, so he brushed it off quickly.  
Thankfully, Alfred was kind enough to pour himself some coffee and leave Arthur to his business and so the brit quickly got to work. He looked through the fridge, to make sure everything was still in date, and through the cupboards, though mostly just to learn where everything place was. He wiped down the counters and cleaned through the microwave. He got to organizing the counters quickly, Alfred tended to keep the day's mail on the side as it reminded him to look at it later and Alfred had a quick scan through the unopened letters to straighten them before he came across a newspaper. The date was a few days ago and it had gotten slightly wet in his cleaning so some of the ink had smudged, but the thing that caught his attention the most was his face. His eyes teared up as he read about himself in a small column. He hadn't shown up to work in a few days and so his co-workers checked his apartment and eventually called the police. He hadn't shown up to work so his coworkers knew he was missing? he questioned it. It wasn't his mother who had noticed his absence because he hadn't spoken to her in a while, or even his roommate who had cared enough to wonder where he had gone, but his coworkers, and that was probably only because they were annoyed they had to take his shift... He blinked, trying to clear his eyes of tears but it was the only reason for them to fall. his hands went up to wipe them from his face and he hid the newspaper under the letters, trying to let the whole thing leave his mind.  
The kitchen was the place in the house Alfred clearly paid the most attention to when he cleaned because there wasn't much to do and in less than an hour Arthur had only one thing left. He stood in front of the oven with a frown. He didn't even want to touch the handle to open it, but he did and thankfully he wasn't hit by the warm air he was expecting when the door swung open. He reached in to get out the first tray but paused before his hands even touched it and he looked back, half expecting Alfred to be stood there telling him to pull it out of the oven. He almost felt himself say 'I can't' and so he pulled his hands away and took a deep breath, looking around for a pair of oven gloves. Finally, he had the confidence to pull the tray out and place it by the sink to be cleaned, and he was almost surprised that he couldn't feel its heat before he reminded himself that it wasn't hot. 'I'm just being stupid, I need to get this cleaned'.   
From then it was easier to clean everything. He pulled the rest of the trays from the oven and stacked them by the sink. Getting the confidence to touch the inside of the oven was a small battle, but one he won and soon it was scrubbed down, as was the stove top, and clean. The most difficulty he had then was actually washing everything. His bandaged didn't take too well to water, but the idea of pulling them off and seeing the mess below was one that made him shudder. Thankfully, at the moment, Alfred had walked back into the kitchen.  
"This place looks so much better" he smiled and Arthur relaxed knowing he'd done a good job. The American quickly noticed Arthurs predicament between the warm soapy water and his hand, and thankfully intervened. "you don't have to do that, you've done a lot already. Go shower and we can set off soon"  
Arthur thanked him and ran off to the shower. It was slightly awkward having to keep his hand outside of the waters spray through the full thing, but he managed to make it work. Alfred had left a small pile of clothes on the bathroom counter. They weren't perfectly fitting for Arthurs size, but that was the whole reason they were going shopping in the first place. After getting out of the shower, Arthur found himself staring at himself in the mirror for a few minutes as slowly cooling water dripped down his form. For a while, there were no thoughts in his head, but eventually, he brought himself back to reality and watched himself dry his hair, careful of his new ears.  
Dressing was uncomfortable business. Pants went just high enough that his tail was forced into an awkward position sticking out of them, and if he tucked it in then it left an awkward print. How was Alfred expecting him to hide his ears and his tail when they went outside?

After drying off Arthur went back to the kitchen to see Alfred. It was around 10 am already, and his stomach made a noise due to a lack of food but he was scared to ask Alfred for food due to fear that their trip would be put off for even another second. Alfred wasn't in the kitchen, he was sat on the couch in the living room and Arthur found him after just a moment of looking.  
"Arthur" he beckoned the brit over, "you look so much better"  
"thank you doctor" he stood by the couch where Alfred sat.  
"We can set off soon if you want, we just need to hide your ears"  
Finally, he was going to hear Alfreds master plan on how he was expected to hide everything or feel it more like because Alfred stood up and covered his head with a hat. It was instantly uncomfortable as it pressed his ears against his head without him wanting it to, and the pressure irritated the soft skin of them, but he wasn't about to complain if it meant they could go out. "What about my tail?" he looked up to Alfred and the man took a step back.  
"Take off your pants"  
The sentence was met with silence and Arthur even took a small step back. "W-what?" He instinctively held his hands up in his own defence but Alfred rolled his eyes.  
"You can keep your underwear on, don't worry, I'm just going to bandage your tail to your leg that way it stays flat"  
There were another few moments of silence before slowly Arthur undid his pants. He felt uncomfortable as the pale skin of his legs made itself visible, but at this point, he would do anything to go out for just a few minutes. He looked up, trying to ignore Alfred when the man crouched by his leg, and he tried to ignore the feeling of Alfred's hands working delicately to pin his tail down. He knew instantly that it would be uncomfortable to sit like this, but hopefully, there wouldn't be much sitting to do.  
"There," Alfred smiled and Arthur instantly pulled his pants back up. His tail bent at an awkward angle when he walked, but the sacrifice of comfort was small. "You'll get used to the feeling soon enough, I'm sure"  
The Brit tried to take a few steps and frowned at the feeling. If he took too big of a step, his tail would be pulled a little, and it sent pain shooting up his back. Apparently, he wasn't going to be able to run anywhere.  
"I'll make it up to you" Alfred seemed to sense his pain, or at least figure it out due to the look on Arthurs' face. "I promise. Come on, let's go"

Alfred lived in a secluded area so walking to town wasn't a good idea and instead, he drove them. Sitting through the slightly bumpy ride wasn't an amazing feeling due to his tail, but Arthur barely even noticed as he peered out his window at the scenes that passed. Sleep tugged at his eyes, but there was no way he was going to let himself sleep through this. Slowly, the countryside became a small town, and then a larger one. Being a mailman had come with a few perks, one of which was knowing the area well, but Alfred hadn't driven to the closest town, he'd gone to a different one. Apparently, it was too much of a risk for Arthur to be recognised, but the brit didn't even let the thought cross his mind, he was just happy to be outside.  
They finally pulled up in the centre of town and Arthur was almost bouncing to get out of the car, but he shied away from the window. It had been a while since he had been in such an open place, one with so many people, and he found himself drawing just slightly closer to the safety and privacy of the car. Alfred got out and Arthur watched him walk around and get to Arthurs side of the car before opening the door and offering him a hand. Something about Alfred's smile still scared Arthur, and he knew he had to accept his hand. Slowly, Arthurs bandaged hand took Alfreds and he stepped outside, closing the door behind him. Alfred didn't let go, but he held his hand carefully to avoid irritating the burn.  
"I'm sure you're starving, we didn't have any breakfast," Alfred said as they started to walk. Arthur just followed, looking around at everything he could. "I thought we could eat here, I know I really nice place."  
Arthur quickly nodded, "sounds perfect" and it really did.  
They walked through the streets of the town, past fast walking businessmen and underage kids smoking before they stopped at a small cafe.

As they walked through a small bell above the door rang and it continued to shake as it closed behind them. Arthurs' eyes widened as he was hit in the face with the almost overpowering smell of tea. Alfred didn't buy the drink for the manor, it was mostly just coffee or juice, and so he instantly relaxed at the smell. There was a couple sat over in the far corner enjoying a drink and a woman leaning at the counter. She smiled over to them and Alfred smiled back. "Hello Liz"  
The back wall of the room held shelves full of different coloured boxes of tea, and even pure tea leaves. Alfred looked towards Arthur and said quietly, "go sit down, look at the menu" and let him go and Arthur immediately sat as close to the wall as possible, where the smell was strongest.  
Alfred kept an eye on him and walked up to the woman who stood at the counter. Her eyes had followed Arthur for a moment before she turned back to Alfred, "Hey Al" she smiled and Arthur sneakily tried to listen in on his conversation. Sounds were muffled under the hat, but thankfully his hearing was good enough for it not to be much of a problem.  
"Who's he?" she asked, looking over to Arthur, who quickly looked down.  
Alfred also looked over to Arthur. He paused as his eyes ran over the brit as though it as his first time seeing him. he smiled. "someone very special."  
The woman didn't have tome to pry before Alfred continued, "I should go sit with him, we'll catch up soon" they both nodded and Alfred walked off and sat across from Arthur.  
The brit was hiding his interest by looking through the menu. It was quite large for such a small cafe, but he knew what he wanted by the time Alfred sat down. He pretended to still be looking as he spoke.  
"So... Is she you're friend?" he looked over to Liz who was cleaning the countertop, he didn't know why he cared, but he told himself that knowing as much as possible about Alfred was bound to help him at some point, "Or something else?"  
Alfred was curious as to why Arthur was asking. His relationships ought to mean nothing to him and yet here they were having this conversation, "Women aren't really my taste" he said honestly. He picked up the menu. Alfred knew what he wanted to order, he came here a bit, but he looked over it out of etiquette. Arthur relaxed upon hearing that though he wasn't sure why.  
They spent a moment in silence, each looking over the menu until Liz showed up at their side with a small notepad. "know what you want?" Arthur assumed her informality stemmed from knowing Alfred.  
Arthur quickly ordered a sandwich and some tea, and Alfred did the same. He wasn't typically a fan of tea, but he refused to desecrate the smell in the room with the bitter stench of coffee, so he ordered the same tea as Arthur. Liz took their menus and if she saw Arthurs bandaged hand, she ignored it as he returned to make sure their order was being taken care of.   
Their drinks arrived first. Each of them was given a small pot of steaming tea alongside an empty cup, a bowl of sugar, and a small amount of milk. Arthur had never seen decedent little teacups quite like these since entering the US and he tried to think back to the last time that he had used them. he thought for a while, a long while, trying to conjure up the memory. he had stayed quiet for so long that he didn't notice Liz had left before he could thank her. he was pulled from his mind by Alfred who said a flat. "That was rude" and Arthur finally looked up slightly painfully.  
"I'm sorry?" he vaguely noticed the lack of the woman's presence. "Oh..."  
"What has you so distracted?" The anger Arthur expected in Alfred's voice wasn't there, and it threw him off.  
"I don't remember" He didn't know if that was his explanation or the very thing that had him distracted but when Alfred started to pour himself a cup of tea, Arthur swiftly copied, careful with the hot teapot around his hand.  
Their food arrived not too long after and this time Arthur was sure to give a 'Thank you' and apologise for his earlier lack of attention. It didn't seem to bother the woman who smiled back and wished them a good meal before returning to the counter.  
Alfred and Arthur were soon plunged into silence, and Arthur closed his eyes and sipped his tea. After a few moments of perfect silence, he placed the cup down and reached for his sandwich, an action which prompted Alfred to talk. "I like seeing you like this" The American smiled.  
"well," Arthur smiled back for once, hoping he could use the situation to his advantage. He couldn't smile for long and eventually his scowl behind his cup. "Maybe you should take me out like this more. that way you can see this side of me."  
His comment was met with a short silence until Alfred muttered a "maybe" and smiling stopped being hard for the brit again.  
They didn't spend long eating and soon enough Liz collected their dished and Alfred paid their bill, leaving a large tip for the woman. Arthur barely noticed the action. His body was warm with tea, the ever slight caffeine had battled his sleep deprivation and he was ready to see more of the town. After waving a short goodbye to Liz, they stepped out and once again the feeling of the wind and the sound of the people surrounded them.  
"Right" Alfred smiled, taking Arthurs hand, "Clothes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, i was supposed to update this a while ago i know, don't worry I'm not going to abandon it, i have a lot of fun writing this, but recently some really big things have gone down health wise for me, and I'm trying to get back on my feet and it's taking up most of the free time i would use to write this. I'm not going to go into details, I'm just letting you know that there may be times when i update a day or a week late or something like that.  
> The start of this chapter was actually written shortly after i posted the last one and then the end was written today, so I'm sorry if it seems disjointed at a point towards the end because that's when i had to start focusing on myself. I really hope you guys are enjoying this, and like i do every chapter, this is where i beg for kudos and comments! Oh and uh, not to spoil anything but there's defo smut next chapter. That's my promise for this being late!


End file.
